In utterly delightful news, the will-it-won’t-it sequel to the Downton Abbey movie is actually on the cards according to its creator Julian Fellowes. Is a sequel really necessary? Absolutely not. Am I 100 per cent here for it? Absolutely yes.
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Like many in the business, Fellowes had been attending the Television Critics Association press tour over the weekend to speak about upcoming projects. He actually has a new title in pre-production called Belgravia, based on Fellowes’s novel of the same name. Per its blurb, “Step behind the closed doors of London’s grandest houses to find scandal, intrigue, secrets, and passion.” Standard. His other series, The Gilded Age, already has a home at HBO, and a cast including Christine Baranski, Amanda Peet, Cynthia Nixon, and Morgan Spector. It’s another historical drama set in 1882 New York City.
Naturally, Fellowes was asked a couple of questions about Downton‘s sequel at the event, to which he replied, “Give us a break, gov. Not until I’ve finished the scripts for The Gilded Age.”
Fair enough.
Whispers of a sequel have followed the team for months now, which is hardly a surprise following the success of the first movie. Producer Gareth Neame told The Hollywood Reporter last year that they all started considering a sequel after the response to the movie.
“It was clear from the first weekend that this was worth taking very seriously,” he said.
“The challenge will be, is everyone available at the same time? Can we make deals with them? That will be the challenge.”
I mean, the cast (maybe sans Dame Maggie Smith) seem pretty fond of the series / movie so I feel like they’d all return. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
If you suddenly have an urge to re-binge the series, you can find all six seasons of Downton Abbey on Amazon Prime Video.
