A third Downton Abbey film is in production

Focus Features and Carnival Films have confirmed that production of the third Downton Abbey movie is underway! 

The news is both expected and welcome; rumours had been circulating that a third film was in the pipeline. Actor Imelda Staunton already let it slip that it was on the way in March 2024:

“There will be the final film — there you go,” she said on BBC Radio 2.

Based on ITV’s hit period drama series, the first Downton Abbey film was released in 2019, topping the box office in the UK and the US, followed by a sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, that came out in 2022.

Who is behind it?

The third film is written by Downton creator and Academy-Award® winner Julian Fellowes, as well as produced by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning Gareth Neame, Fellowes, and BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning Liz Trubridge.  Downton Abbey: A New Era director Simon Curtis will return to direct.

Is the regular cast returning?

The regular cast is confirmed to return for the film including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera, and Douglas Reith. 

Additional cast announced includes Paul Giamatti as Cora’s brother Harold Levinson, Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan. Dominic West will also return as Guy Dexter from the last installment ‘A New Era’.

All 52 episodes of the TV series are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here!