Back to the Abbey – Fans Get First Look at “Downton” Sequel
Earlier this year, we reported that the title of the hotly anticipated Downton Abbey sequel had been confirmed as Downton Abbey: A New Era and that Dame Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) would be returning to her role as the Dowager Countess. Fans can now get a first look at the sequel via a teaser trailer and movie stills.
The hugely popular British drama series of Downton Abbey ran for six seasons, and the original movie, which carried on from where the series had ended, was a global hit.
Recently, Downton Abbey‘s creator and Oscar winner Julian Fellowes has been speaking to PEOPLE about the upcoming return to the Abbey, stating that it will be an “unashamedly feel-good movie“ and that it will “pick up where the last left off.”
Fellowes could not give too much away about the movie but spoke of the setting being “a new era.“
It’s really a new era. The further the ’20s went along, the more the world was changing in so many ways. Everything from entertainment to transport was really different by the end of the ’20s.
The 15-second teaser trailer of the sequel was recently released, giving delighted fans snippets of what they can expect from the film. This weekend, the trailer is set to hit theaters showing the new movie Belfast (directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, who incidentally played Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).
The teaser trailer for #DowntonAbbey: A New Era will be exclusively in theaters on @belfastmovie this weekend. pic.twitter.com/FhuGsiG8zg
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) November 10, 2021
Fans were also excited to see a set of movie stills on the Downton Abbey Twitter account.
A new era begins, and there’s no place we’d rather be. #DowntonAbbey: A New Era is in theaters this March. pic.twitter.com/ygd154sDQQ
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) November 10, 2021
Unfortunately, Smith does not appear in the trailer or the stills, but PEOPLE confirmed she would appear. The magazine stated that all the main cast would be returning and that there would also be some new faces joining. But what of Imelda Staunton? Best known to Wizarding World fans for playing Professor Umbridge in two Potter movies, Staunton also starred in the original Downton movie as Maud Bagshaw. It has not yet been confirmed whether she will appear, but speaking to Radio Times in 2020, she said that she would “of course” return if there was to be a sequel.
Downton Abbey: A New Era will be shown in theaters starting March 18, 2022. Let us know if you are as excited about the sequel as we are.