Focus Features Announces ‘Downton Abbey’ Is Getting a Sequel This Christmas
The period drama, Downton Abbey 2 will be released on December 22, 2021, produced by Focus Features and Carnival Films. Universal Pictures International and Focus Features will be distributing the film. Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes will write the screenplay.
Downton Abbey 2 will be produced by Emmy and BAFTA Award Winner, Gareth Neam who is the executive chairman of Carnival films; Emmy Award-winning Liz Trubridge will also be a producer. My Week with Marilyn’s Simon Curtis will be directing.
Glamour revealed that an interview from This Morning in September 2020 with actor Jim Carter who plays the character Carson hinted, “If you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll let you know that we’ve seen a script…The script for a second film is there. We’ve seen it, it’s very funny!”
Downton Abbey 2 releasing at Christmas!! pic.twitter.com/AHNUbjtEyd
— Wickedella (@Wickedella_) April 19, 2021
The first film’s budget was over $230 million. The film earned over $97 million at the domestic box office which made it Focus Features highest-grossing film. In the last film, the Royal family came to visit the Crawley family, and later in the film, someone tried to murder the King of England.
While the plot for the film is still unknown, there have been some casting decisions released. As well as the usual cast of Hugh Bonneville, Dame Maggie Smith, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael, and Michelle Dockery, there will be new cast members such as Hugh Dancy from Hannibal, Laura Haddock of Guardians of the Galaxy, and Nathalie Baye from Catch Me If You Can.
Lord Grantham played by Hugh Bonneville was interviewed by the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show in February of this year. He said that if the cast and crew were able to get vaccinated, they would film over the summer and that, “We are desperate to do it. It’s the sort of pleasurable release of a movie like the first one that audiences would enjoy after all of this mess we have been through.”
Downton Abbey 2 just saved 2021
— seb (@SebubbleG) April 19, 2021
Neame reflects on the pandemic saying, “After a very challenging year with so many of us separated from family and friends, it is a huge comfort to think that better times are ahead and that next Christmas we will be reunited with the much-beloved characters of Downton Abbey,” he said.
We’re thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2, with Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West joining!
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) April 19, 2021
See the film in theaters this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/OHopFgzqiM
Downton Abbey 2 will be released in theaters on December 22, 2021.
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