After a successful six-season series and 2019 movie, the drama is set to return to the big screen with a sequel that'll reunite
show creator Julian Fellowes, the Crawleys and co., and a few new faces. Officially titled Downton Abbey: A New Era, the highly anticipated follow-up from Focus Features and Carnival Films is set to arrive next spring.
Get the tea brewing and keep scrolling to find out more.
When will Downton Abbey: A New Era be released?
The theatrical release is set for May 20, 2022 in the U.S. (and April 29 for the U.K.)
The film was originally set to hit theaters on December 22, 2021 then was pushed back to March 18, 2022. Another delay has postponed the release until May.
What is it about?
Official plot details are still under wraps, but to refresh your knowledge: The first film followed the Crawley family and the Downton staff as they hosted the king and queen for a royal visit. Now, where could the sequel go from there? Based on the title, we might expect a fresh, new chapter for the beloved upstairs-downstairs drama.
Is there a trailer?
Not yet, but the teaser trailer is expected to debut this weekend along with the release of Belfast. We have a preview here until then.
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Focus Features shared first-look footage of the sequel at CinemaCon in August 2021. According to Deadline, it showed the Crawleys and their staff preparing for an overseas journey. "There’s lots of glitz and glamour and jazz, as well as, evidently, a wedding," the outlet adds.
The studio has also shared few first-look photos of the upcoming film.
Sophie McShera stars as Daisy and Lesley Nicol stars as Mrs. Patmore.
Left to right: Harry Hadden-Paton stars as Bertie Pelham, Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith,Tuppence Middleton as Lucy Smith and Allen Leech as Tom Branson.
According to Focus Features, the original principal cast is returning for the sequel: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Harry Hadden-Paton, David Haig, Geraldine James, Robert James-Collier, Simon Jones, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Stephen Campbell Moore, Lesley Nicol, Kate Phillips, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, and Penelope Wilton.
They'll also be joined by new additions: Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, and Dominic West.
Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) is directing the film, written by Downton series creator, Julian Fellowes. Emmy winners Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge are producing the film with Fellowes.
Liam Daniel / Focus Features
Can I watch the original Downton Abbey?
Luckily, while you wait for the sequel, you can catch up on Downton online. The 2019 film is available for rent and purchase on Amazon, Apple TV,
">YouTube, and more. All six seasons of the original PBS series are currently streaming on Netflix. Watch Now
How long has the Downton sequel been in the works?
Producer Gareth Neame confirmed to The Hollywood Reporterin November 2019, just two months after the original film's premiere, that the team behind the British series was "working on" another installment.
Fans had been clamoring for a sequel since the film's September release, and showed their passion at the box office, with the film making $185 million worldwide. Neame told THR, "We're working on what the story is, and when we might be able to make it. But it's the same as the first time around: We have to try to get everyone back together again. And that was very challenging."
Neame confirmed that while talks of a sequel were "vaguely" happening pre-release, the team members were "kind of holding our breath." He added, "The reaction to the film, the press tour in the U.S. and the buildup to release were so strong that we'd been thinking about it. And then it was clear from the first weekend that this was worth taking very seriously."
Minor spoiler alert: Fans may recall that the end of the first Downton film seemed to suggest Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) had fallen terminally ill. But Neame has calmed our worries, hinting to THR, "All I would say is that one of the things that's been commented on over the years about Downton is that we've had plenty of medical misdiagnoses."
Erica GonzalesErica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more.
Savannah WalshEditorial FellowSavannah Walsh is an Editorial Fellow at ELLE.com.
Hilary WeaverHilary Weaver is a freelance writer based in New York who writes about politics, queer issues, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and every woman the Queen has ever made a dame.
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