Rumor Has It: Julian Fellows Planning a Downton Abbey Prequel?
Downton writer/creator Julian Fellowes told a BAFTA Screenwriters Lecture that he’s been thinking about writing a prequel to the popular costume drama, which would focus on the courtship and early relationship of the Earl of Grantham and Lady Cora.
"I do actually have an idea of doing a prequel of the courtship of Robert and Cora, when all those American heiresses were arriving in London,” Fellowes said. "They had a slightly troubled courtship, because she was in love with him before they married, as we know, and he married her entirely for her money."
The series would cast a pair of younger actors in the roles made famous by Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, and Fellowes insist that any prequel will have to wait until after Downton Abbey itself concludes. But just the possibility of this is intriguing!
Why? Well, getting to see more backstory on the Crawley family has been on my personal Downton series wishlist forever. The Crawley family dynamic is so interesting and so full of potential storylines to explore. How did oh-so-American Cora adjust to running an English estate? Was this the life she wanted? What was Downton like when Violet was the Lady Grantham calling the shots? What was Robert’s father like? How did Carson, Mrs. Hughes, etc. all come into the Crawley family service? There are just so many things that I want to know, and now might actually get the chance to see play out in some small way onscreen!
Of course, the problem with prequels is always that you risk them not being very exciting – we already know the ending after all, and no matter how difficult Robert and Cora’s lives may seem at any one point, they’re going to end up in love and generally happy (Robert’s disastrous snogging-the-random-housemaid phase aside). But, fortunately, the Downton universe is built on the characters that inhabit it, much more so than any particular plot arc or story (save possibly Mary and Matthew’s relationship, at least at this point). It would seem as though there’s certainly enough material there to keep fans riveted throughout.
So, let the speculation begin – who would you cast as the younger Lord and Lady Grantham? Glamour magazine has my favorite suggestion of Henry Cavill and Alexis Bledel, which seems actually note perfect just in terms of yes, I can see these people growing up to look exactly like Bonneville and McGovern, but I have a feeling Cavill’s about to be a big movie star thanks to Man of Steel, so that seems unlikely. Their suggestion of Ben Whishaw is also a good one as he is a truly wonderful actor.
And obviously – possibly most importantly – who in the world has the mettle to take on playing the Dowager Countess? Violet’s a fascinating character and the thought of exploring what makes her tick further is thrilling, but it’s certainly going to have to be a brave soul that steps into Dame Maggie Smith’s shoes.
Thoughts, anyone? What do you think of this idea? And who’d be part of your Casting Dream Team?
