‘Downton Abbey’s Third Movie is in Development, Paul Giamatti Joins the Cast
The third installment of Downton Abbey’s franchise is in development, and Paul Giamatti will reprise his role. Focus Features and Carnival Films announced the production of the third movie on Monday. They posted a video on social media, which shows the cast reuniting for production.
In that video, Michelle Dockery, who played the role of Lady Mary, shared her excitement about returning to the film. She said, “It feels amazing. It’s a tad emotional.” she continued, “It’s wonderful all to be back together again.” she also announced that the third movie is in production.
Giamatti played the role of Harold Levinson, Cora Crawley’s brother, who appeared in the Downton Abbey series at the end of the fourth season.
Alessandro Nivola, Joely Richardson, Arty Froushan, and Simon Russell Beale also join the cast. Their character details have yet to be disclosed.
The returning cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Jim Carter, Robert James-Collier, Penelope Wilton, Raquel Cassidy, and Lesley Nicol.
The movie’s script is written by Julian Fellowes, who created the critically acclaimed series. He also wrote the previous two films in the franchise. He will also produce the film along with Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge. Simon Curtis will be back as the director seat after directing the 2022 prequel.
There were previously reports that the shooting will begin this summer at Highclere Castle. In March, during a BBC radio appearance, the actress Imelda Staunton, who played the role of Lady Maud Bagshaw in the first two movies, revealed the news of the third one. She said, “There will be the final film. There you go.” However, Staunton was not included in the returning cast announcement list.
The plot details regarding the third installment of the movie are scarce. However, it will pick up where the second one in the franchise left off, as it ended with the death of Lady Violet, who had a secret relationship with a Marquis in the South of France.
The series Downton Abbey was released in September 2010, and the story is set in the early 20th century. The story follows the lives of the fictional Crawley family and their servants in their country estate between 1912 and 1926. The series ran for six seasons and concluded in 2015.
The series received numerous awards, including Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards. After the end of the series, the fans demanded more, which led to the creation of the two films, the first movie released in 2019 of the same name and its prequel titled Downton Abbey: A New Era in 2022.