There will be a third ‘Downton Abbey’ film, says one of the stars

The Crawleys have endured heartbreak, abandoned at the altar and a burst stomach ulcer. They have celebrated the birth of heirs, inter-class marriages and (eventually) an illegitimate child. They even hesitantly embraced the arrival of new technology the telephone and moving images.

After six seasons on television and two movies, it looks like they’re not done yet.

The Crawleys are returning for a third – and possibly final – ‘Downton Abbey’ film, one of the stars told BBC Radio 2.

“There will be the final film,” Imelda Staunton, who played Queen Mary’s maid of honor in the first two films, host Zoe Ball said Wednesday, taking a long breath between each word. “There you go.”

Ball said she hoped she didn’t get Staunton in trouble for speaking out of turn.

“I don’t care,” Staunton said.

Focus Features, which distributed the past two films, did not respond to a request for comment. But rumors are already circulating about the plot and possible additions to the cast.

Over six seasons on ITV in Britain and PBS in the United States, Julian Fellowes, who wrote all 52 episodes, transformed the tensions of class struggle from top to bottom into an idyllic escape for viewers. Gossip zingers. Silent class struggle. Socialism. Empire waists and beaded dresses. Dame Maggie Smith.

From 2010 to 2015, the “Downton” characters had seen it all. At least that’s what the fans thought. But Fellowes wasn’t done yet and brought “Downton” to the big screen in 2019, much to fans’ delight.

The first ‘Downton’ film was set in 1927 and followed a royal visit to the Grantham estate. But as Downton’s staff battles the royal servants, an assassin attempts to assassinate Queen Mary. Meanwhile, Staunton’s character, Lady Maud Bagshaw, finds herself at the center of an inheritance dispute.

A second film, “Downton Abbey: New Era” (2022), followed the Crawleys as they welcomed a crew to Downton for the shooting of a silent film. Other members of the family went to the south of France to discover a mystery.

In a red carpet interview before the ‘New Era’ premiere, Fellowes said that his goal with the first film was to see if there was a need for more ‘Downton’ antics, “and I think we determined that there was if we could get it right.”

With the second film, as well as the entire series, his goal was “to give people a good time,” Fellowes said. “I don’t see anything wrong with giving them a fun night out.”