Michelle Dockery steps out in sheer black frock alongside Downton Abbey co-stars

She set the big screen alight earlier this year when she reprised her role as Lady Mary Talbot for the highly anticipated Downton Abbey movie, and British actress Michelle Dockery looked incredible as she stepped out in Rome on Saturday.

Ditching her period wardrobe for something more modern, the 37-year-old star looked sensational in black as she attended the 14th Rome Film Fest in the Italian capital on Saturday, where the hugely successful film was shown.

Michelle, who starred as Lady Mary Crawley in all 6 series of the groundbreaking ITV series, put on a stunning display on the Downton Abbey red carpet at the festival, donning a sheer black maxi dress for the occasion, wearing a simple black slip beneath.

The show-stopping gown was decorated with an elaborate embroidered design which featured an abundance of wildflowers and even a black jaguar prowling along the hemline. While she completed the elegant look with a lick of red lipstick and wore her dark locks in a sophisticated curled style.

Dockery was joined by a number of her Downton co-stars for the event. She posed on the red carpet alongside Jim Carter, who plays stern butler Mr Carson, and his real-life wife Imelda Staunton, who joined the cast of the movie as the Queen’s lady-in-waiting Lady Bagshaw.

Imelda, 63, looked equally as stylish in a pair of flowing blue wide-leg trousers, which she paired with a bold patterned blazer and chunk tan heels. While Jim, 71, looked far more relaxed than his on-screen counterpart in a navy checked suit.

American director Michael Engler, who directed the film, also posed alongside the cast members amid rumours that fans will be treated to a sequel, after viewers were left on tenterhooks about what the future may hold for Tom Branson at the end of the movie.

Earlier this month, the movie’s executive producer Gareth Neame hinted that the cast may return to the silver screen for a second instalment. Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Neame explained that with so much support for the movie so far, a second may be a possibility.

“We said before it came out that if the fans enjoy it and people come and see it, then maybe there could be another one,” he said according to The Telegraph. “And I’m pleased to say it’s doing really well.”

Having reached number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States of America, the producer said the movie’s success is very clear. But what exactly will happen the supposed sequel is yet to be revealed with Neame explaining the story line could take an unexpected twist.

“Well, we’ll see,” he explained when asked what will happen if a second goes ahead. “There is a big matter at the end of the film that takes us in a slightly different direction.”

The Downton Abbey movie was released in cinemas across Australia on September 12. Set in 1926 – one year after the final episode – the movie picked up where the television series left off.