For a long time the possibility of a Downton Abbey movie seemed like wishful thinking. However, several months ago the project was officially announced, along with the fact it would be getting a theatrical release. Now, we have our first look at the upcoming movie and you can take a look below.
The first look at Downton Abbey the movie has a lot of the same touches of the original TV series, with a look at the bell pulley system the household uses and plenty of shots of the upstairs versus the downstairs worlds. The grand house is front and center in this first look, as the movie seems to be keeping the basic plot of the flick under wraps. What's maybe most fun about the first trailer is its cheeky confidence.
"You are cordially invited," the trailer reads, "to the motion picture event of the year."
That's pretty brazen, considering 2019 has a slew of high profile movies coming, not least of which are Jumanji 3 and Star Wars Episode IX (full list of releases), although I'm not sure there's a ton of audience crossover between the people who love Downton Abbey and the people who geek out over Star Wars canon. I could be wrong though. Regardless, I appreciate the brash confidence.
What we do see in the trailer includes maids opening up and readying rooms, a special letter being signed, a scene that looks to be a sort of parade or maybe a coronation (depending on what year the movie will visit, although rumors have stated 1926), and a lone motorcyclist heading to Downton. The flick started filming about three months ago and it's nice there's any footage together for the movie already, as period
Not everyone has been super positive about a Downton Abbey movie; Dame Maggie Smith has been positively grumpy about it, for one, but she is listed among the cast. In fact, a lot of the show's original cast members are anticipated to return and the trailer specifically lists a few of the characters who will be back. Lord and Lady Grantham are listed. Lady Mary Talbot and the Dowager Lady Grantham are listed. So are Tom Branson, Lady Hexham, Lady Merton, Mr. Carson, Mr. Barrow, Mr. Bates, Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Patmore, Mr. Molesley, Daisy Mason and Miss Baxter. New actors have also been added into the mix.
The new movie will officially be heading into theaters on September 20, 2019. September is not normally a crowded month for movies and it will be interesting to see if TV audiences show up to see this one on the big screen. In the meantime, we'll be waiting for the trailer. I think most fans are itching to know the plot of the movie, although if I had to guess, it probably will have something to do with how the times are always changing, propelling forward into a new and modern future that is leaving its landed gentry behind. We'll keep you posted.
