‘Harry Potter’ actress and 6 more stars join ‘Downton Abbey’ movie as new characters

With filming set to begin imminently on the Downton Abbey movie, some exciting new casting details have been revealed.

The entire main cast of the TV series is expected to return apart from actress Lily James, who played Lady Rose MacClare.

Even actor Dan Stevens, who played the late Matthew Crawley, has hinted he might appear!

Seven newcomers to the Downton Abbey world have been announced by producer Carnival Films.

Best known as Dolores Jane Umbridge in the Harry Potter films, Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton has been added to the movie’s cast.

Did you know that the 62-year-old actress is married in real life to actor Jim Carter? Yes, that’s Mr Carson in Downton!

Also joining the cast is Geraldine James (Gandhi, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland).

She’ll be familiar to fans of Anne with an E, Netflix’s Anne of Green Gables adaptation, for her role as Marilla Cuthbert.

Other additions include Simon Jones, who played Arthur Dent in the BBC’s 1980s adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Tuppence Middleton (The Lady Vanishes, The Imitation Game) and Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders, Wolf Hall, The Crown).

Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys, Goodbye Christopher Robin) and Four Weddings & a Funeral actor David Haig also have roles.

Information on who their characters are will be revealed at a later date.

Written by Downton creator Julian Fellowes, the movie finally begins filming “any minute now“.

Downton Abbey: The Complete Collection is available to buy now.

The Downton Abbey movie will arrive in cinemas in 2019.