Get your cup of tea ready. A film adaptation of the wildly popular PBS period drama "Downton Abbey" is in the works.
According to the Associated Press, the announcement was made on Wednesday, June 21, at a "Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" red-carpet event in Singapore. “There’s a movie in the works. It’s been in the works for some time,” Michael Edelstein, president at NBCUniversal International Studios, said. “We are working on getting the script right and then we’ve got to figure out how to get the (cast) together ... But we’re hopeful to make a movie sometime next year.” The script is being written by Julian Fellowes himself, the screenwriter of all six breathtaking seasons of the TV show, which aired from 2011 to 2016 in the United States.I keep being asked about the Downton film,” Fellowes told The Guardian recently. “I’ve done some work on the script, because I don’t want to find there’s a green light and no script ready. But we’re still waiting for that green light from the studio. Then the biggest difficulty will be rounding up all the cast as, compared with most series, it has such a large cast. And it needs them to feel Downtonesque.”Well, it seems as if the green light is on. And the fact that Fellowes and Edelstein are committed to assembling the award-winning cast is, of course, great news. Because what would "Downton" be without the Dowager Countess (played by Maggie Smith), or much-loved lady's maid Anna (Joanne Froggatt)? [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="2103,2104"] Though Edelstein made the red-carpet announcement, some cast members appearing at the event still seemed in the dark about the film plan's finality. “Well, tell my agent, because we’re still waiting to know," Laura Carmichael (who played Lady Edith Crawley) responded. "We’re hoping that will happen soon.”
Sophie McShera, who played assistant cook Daisy, had a similar reaction. “Oh, well, you’ve got confirmation before us. We have no idea if that’s happening,” she said. “But we would all love to be part of the film if it was to happen, for sure.”
"Downton Abbey" is a historical period television drama following the Crawleys, a fictional British aristocratic family, whose sprawling estate is set in Yorkshire during the early 20th century. The show has been a favorite world-wide, and the current "Downton Abbey: The Exhibition," which just opened in Singapore, features costumes, set builds, and other fun behind-the-scenes information on the series. The exhibition is expected to tour the U.S. at a later date.
We can only imagine the wild success the film version will have! What do you think? Do you have a favorite character or a story line idea? Tell us in the comments!
