The British aristocratic family the Crawleys, will be making their way to the big screen. A feature film spinoff of the hit series Downton Abbey will be going into production later this summer for a presumed release next year.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film will reunite all of the main cast from the hit television series including Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville with creator Julian Fellows, who has written the screenplay for this big screen follow-up. The director of the TV series’ original pilot episode, Brian Percival, will be directing the film.
Originally airing on Britain’s ITV network and rebroadcast in the States on PBS, Downton Abbey premiered in 2010. Over its six seasons it told the story of the posh Crawley family and their servants throughout the post-Edwardian portion of the 20th century. Over the show’s history the family contended with such things as World War One, the Spanish influenza pandemic, the Teapot Dome Scandal and the Irish War of Independence. Over the course of the show, and most specifically in its final season, the show dealt wit the decline of the aristocracy in England and the rise of the working class.
By the time the show finished its run in 2015, it had become the most-nominated non-American show in Emmy history, racking up 69 nominations and 15 wins.
