Downton Abbey 3 Has Finally Been Confirmed, And I'm Particularly Focused On Two Cast Members And What Their Returns Mean

Someone should buy Imelda Staunton a drink of her choosing today, as the legendary actor’s previous chatter about a third, and seemingly final, Downton Abbey film has panned out. While we probably shouldn’t expect Downton Abbey 3 to debut on the 2024 movie schedule, that project has now officially been confirmed. What’s more, there’s two returning cast members that are in the mix that have me intensely focused on what their presence means. 

Introducing The Cast Of Downton Abbey 3

Let’s get the actual news out of the way: this third Downton movie has officially been announced by Focus Features and Carnival Films. The follow-up to 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, pretty much the entire main cast of the series is returning, along with some other key players that make for promising additions. 

Here’s who we’re expecting, so far, per information from Focus Features: 

 It’s all coming together for Downton Abbey 3, as A New Era director Simon Curtis will be helming this latest sequel. And as you may have already guessed, series creator Julian Fellowes has written this new chapter in the Crawley family legacy. You can practically hear the theme music in your head, can’t you? But ask yourself, is it your imagination, or this wonderful announcement video, headed by Michelle Dockery herself, that you're hearing: 

However, I implore you Downton Abbey loyalists not to get too excited. In fact, you should read that cast list a little more carefully. I say this, because in addition to new faces like Joely Richardson and Alessandro Nivola, and the omission of Matthew Goode's name on the cast block (yet again), there's some exciting developments to be talked out. 

Paul Giamatti And Dominic West’s Returns Are Of Particular Note

Ok die hard Downton fans: let’s talk about the new old faces so big, they got their own piece of the announcement press release. Just in case you missed it, here’s how Focus Features confirmed both Paul Giamatti and Dominic West’s involvement in Downton Abbey 3:

For those of you who may have forgotten, or for you Giamatti fans that have somehow skipped Downton Abbey, Harold Levinson appeared in Season 4’s Christmas episode, “The London Season.” A man who loves yachts, but hates leaving America, I’m convinced his return means one of two things. 

One scenario is that mention of “many other fan favorites” is leaving the door open for Shirley MacLaine to return to her role as Martha Levinson. The mother of Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and Harold, she may want to see her daughter again after learning of the bittersweet farewell to Dame Maggie Smith’s Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess. 

Taking place during Downton Abbey: A New Era’s ending, Violet's passing will still be felt as the future of the Downton estate progresses. Though that does bring up the other possibility: Harold Levinson may be returning to the fold to tell Cora that Martha herself has passed. 

As for the resurfacing presence of Guy Dexter, dashing actor and love interest for the also returning Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), that sounds like potentially much happier news! Not only is Thomas theoretically going to get to see his Downton Abbey friends once more, but this more than likely means that his romance with Guy is still in play! 

Speaking from my fandom of this franchise, it would be another beautiful development. While 2019’s Downton Abbey: The Motion Picture seemed to flirt with this possibility, Mr. Barrow returned for the cinematic sequel without a mate. Of course, this presumed continuing romance is a theory, as we still don’t know much about where this new movie will be heading. 

Should Downton Abbey 3 be the final film in the series, there’s a ton of other questions that come to mind. Could The Crawley family be heading to Hollywood, or another U.S. hot spot, for their next adventure? Might a return to television still be in the cards as earlier rumors had suggested? Will we ever see Lily James’ Lady Rose return to tie up her own plotline? 

Now that we know the movie is actually happening, all this and more can officially be discussed. So make some tea, and be sure to pace yourselves, because this hype train does not have a final destination in mind just yet. 

Downton Abbey 3 does not have a release date set at this time. So there’s plenty of time to make sure the proper attire is ready for your trip to the cinema. Which means you also have the time to watch (or re-watch) all six seasons of the original series; as those adventures are currently available through the use of a Peacock subscription.