‘Downton Abbey 2,’ with original cast, set for December theatrical release

Fans of “Downton Abbey” have plenty to look forward to this year.

On Monday, Focus Features tweeted out the news: “Downtown Abbey 2” will arrive in theaters this Christmas, with TV series creator Julian Fellowes writing the screenplay and the principal original cast including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter and the rest, in tow. Dame Maggie Smith is also slated to return.

According to a report in Variety, filming began last week for the second feature film spin-off of the hugely popular television series. The film is set for a Dec. 22 release, and the cast will feature some newcomers including Hugh Dancy, Dominic West, Nathalie Baye and Laura Haddock.

In February, Bonneville, who stars as Robert Crawley, the Lord Grantham, teased the movie sequel was a possibility and would hopefully help lift spirits amid the misery and hardship of the pandemic. “If everybody who is offered a vaccine takes a vaccine, we can make a movie,” he said on the BBC radio program “The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.” “We would love to do it, we are desperate to do it, and I think it’s the sort of pleasurable release of a movie like the first one was, that audiences would enjoy after all of this mess we have been through,” he said.

The PBS Masterpiece series ended in 2015 after six seasons and 69 Emmy Award nominations (including 15 wins).

The first “Downton Abbey” feature film was released in 2019, earning more than $200 million at the box office. The plot centered on a visit from the British royal family to the abbey. The storyline for the second film has not yet been revealed.