‘Downton Abbey 2,’ A Movie Sequel, Will Be Released On Christmas

On Monday, it was announced that a sequel to the historical drama film Downton Abbey would be released around December 25 for Christmas. Based on the popular television series of the same name created by Julian Fellowes, the Downton Abbey movie premiered on September 13, 2019, and was directed by Michael Engler. The film centers on the Crawley family receiving a visit from the King (Simon Jones) and Queen (Geraldine James) at the family’s English Country House in the Yorkshire countryside. However, things go awry when an assassin arrives to try and kill the monarch.

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The sequel will once again star most, if not all, of the cast from the original film with new cast members including Dominic West, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Hugh Dancy. Focus Features will produce the movie while Universal Pictures will return to be the primary distributor for the film. Fellowes will be returning to write the script and story. In addition to serving as a screenwriter for the film, Fellowes will also serve as a producer for the movie alongside Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge.

The announcement for the second Downton Abbey movie was first made on Twitter. Following the announcement, Neame expressed his excitement at the prospect of returning to the Downton Abbey franchise with this film. “After a very challenging year with so many of us separated from family and friends, it is a huge comfort to think that better times are ahead and that next Christmas we will be re-united with the much beloved characters of Downton Abbey,” he wrote. The chairman of Focus Features Peter Kujawski also revealed his joy at continuing the Downton Abbey franchise. “There’s no place like home for the holidays, and we can’t imagine a better gift than getting to reunite with Julian, Gareth, and the entire Downton family in 2021 to bring the Crawley’s back home for their fans,” he said.