Downton Abbey: A New Era
- By Kenne Hoffman
- Photos Courtesy of Focus Features
It’s been 12 years since the premiere of Downton Abbey and five long years since the series finale. Thankfully, in 2019, fans of the Downton Abbey Universe were given a chance to catch up with the Crawley family, their many maids, footmen, and of course Mr. Carson the Butler, with a full-length feature film. Unfortunately, this only stoked the fires of the rabid longtime series fans and ignited a new generation’s curiosity.
In a second feature film, Downton Abbey: New Era, the Crawley family travels in a Gatsby-Style getaway to the South of France to visit the newly inherited villa of the Dowager Countess (Harry Potter’s Dame Maggie Smith). Many of the original series and movie characters will be returning and fans can expect a wedding befitting the Crawleys and Downton Abbey. Speculation ran wild about the couple until an early trailer revealed that it would be Tom Branson (Alan Leech, Bohemian Rhapsody, As Luck Would Have It) and Lucy (Tuppence Middleton, Sense 8, Jupiter Ascending), Lady Bagshaw’s (Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter Series, The Crown) former maid. Lady Mary comes into her own when she is handed the reigns by the Dowager Countess who says that Lady Mary is “the future of Downton.” The future in question is nearly the 1930’s and the beginning of the modern world. Everything from entertainment to transportation is changing and will be a central theme of the movie. Lady Mary Crawley’s mission as a pioneer for broader social change will of course continue. In addition to original cast favorites Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, and Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley, audiences will be delighted to see notable new faces like Laura Haddock (The Capture, White Lines), Natalie Baye (Criminal, Spin), Hugh Dancy (Ella Enchanted, Homeland, Law & Order) and Dominic West (The Wire, The Affair). Gareth Neame (Executive Chairman of Carnival Films) takes the helm as producer. Since we last saw the Crawleys, the world has experienced many changes and trials and tribulations that have separated us from family and friends. It is a huge comfort to be reunited with not only our families, but the beloved characters of Downton Abbey and all the highs and lows we have experienced together over the last 12 years.
“Downton Abbey: New Era” is set to arrive in theaters on May 18.
