I don't know about you, but we here at Cinema Blend are still heartsick over Downton Abbey's cruel season three finale where the tumultuous love affair between Lady Mary and Cousin Matthew came to an abrupt and bloody end on the side of a country road. Reportedly the fan-infuriating plot twist came about because Dan Stevens, who played Matthew and made us all fall in love with his subtle seductive ways, wanted to leave the show to pursue acting opportunities elsewhere.
Admittedly, I was pretty emotional in the wake of Matthew's final departure from the acclaimed and addictive series, and may have sworn off seeing anything else he ever does (you know, to teach him a lesson about being so reckless with my heart!). But I'm finding my resolve withering as the release of Summer in February draws near. In the trailer above, you see Stevens with the floppy blonde locks and boyish smile we came to adore on Downton Abbey falling head over heels for a fiery young woman with dark hair. She's not Lady Mary, but I'll take what I can get while Downton Abbey preps for a mournful season four.
A biography about English anti-Modernist painter Alfred Munnings, Summer in February centers on the artist's life as a young man, when he was an emerging talent who became entangled in a love triangle with aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood, and a land agent named Gilbert Evans. Dominic Cooper stars as Munnings, and Emily Browning plays Carter-Wood, while Stevens portrays the doubtlessly charming Evans. Helmed by storied English television director Christopher Menaul, this promising true tale of love will open in the UK on June 14th.
