Third Downton Abbey movie confirmed - but it's the last

The third Downton Abbey movie has begun pre-production as confirmed by the official Instagram for Highclere Castle and also by Imelda Staunton this morning on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, but the actress, who plays Maud Bagshaw in the films, says it will be the last. Filming will begin in May.

The British series, much beloved around the world, followed the lives of an aristocratic family living in a castle known as Downton Abbey, beginning in 1912 just as news of the Titanic rocked the world. The series has been followed up by two big screen feature films, with the second one, Downton Abbey: A New Era, which took place in 1928 just as silent pictures were being replaced by talking pictures, released in 2022.

The third one will bring back many of the original stars, including Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Imelda Staunton and Penelope Wilton.

An official title and release date have not yet been announced. ~Alexandra Heilbron