The Next 'Downton Abbey' Movie Will Pay Tribute to Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith in "Downton Abbey"
(Photo: Nick Briggs/Carnival Films for Masterpiece/PBS)
It's difficult to imagine Downton Abbey without the Dowager Countess. It's equally difficult to imagine the world of British entertainment without Dame Maggie Smith, the iconic star of stage and screen who passed away earlier this year and who brought the character to such vivid and colorful life. But the still-untitled third film in the period drama franchise will reportedly do its best to pay tribute to both its most iconic character and the woman who portrayed her.
As fans of the series already know, the second feature film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, ended with the death of Smith's Dowager Countess Violet, the acerbic, sharp-tongued matriarch of the Crawley clan. The third movie was always going to have to acknowledge the Dowager's absence in some way, but with the real-life passing of Smith early this year it seems obvious that Violet's death will weigh heavier over the world of Downton than before.
“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway,” executive producer Gareth Neame recently told TV Line. "“The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”
During Downton's original television run, Smith racked up adoring fans, critical acclaim, and a significant amount of awards hardware, winning three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
Details about the third Downton Abbey film are still being kept under wraps. The project wrapped filming over the summer, and we still don't even know what the movie is technically even called, let alone any details about a potential plot.
But, if six seasons and two movies have proven anything, it's that the plot of any given Downton Abbey installment is of secondary importance to the chance to just watch the various Crawley family members being fabulous and bantering with one another.
The main cast members returning upstairs include the core ensemble of Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Harry Hadden-Paton, Douglas Reith, and Dominic West. Downstairs, the returning faces will feature Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Michael Fox, Robert James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Sophie McShera, and Lesley Nicols.
In terms of new faces, Paul Giamatti will reprise his role as Cora Grantham’s brother, Harold Levinson, for the first time on the big screen. Other guest stars for the third film include Joely Richardson (Renegade Nell), Simon Russell Beale (Mary & George), Arty Froushan (House of the Dragon), and American actor Alessandro Nivola (Black Narcissus).
The third, still as yet untiled, Downton Abbey film will premiere in theaters on September 12, 2025.
