Fans have been given their first sneak peek at Downton Abbey’s upcoming sequel, titled A New Era. Old favourites and new faces were revealed in a fresh batch of images and a teaser trailer recently, drumming up anticipation for the new period drama extravaganza.
The 15-second blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trailer shows a montage of the upcoming film, while the full trailer makes its debut this weekend.
The photos, much like the trailer, feature a mixture of returning cast members and new characters, offering another glimpse into the upcoming film, which is scheduled for a theatre-only release on March 18, 2022.
The franchise confirmed household names and firm favourites Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Michelle Dockery will all be returning to their popular roles for the film.
The first Downton Abbey film, which premiered in 2019 – four years after the hit show wrapped up season six – reunited most of the cast for the plot, which revolved around the preparations for a visit from King George V and Queen Mary.
One of the major bombshells dropped in the first feature film was news of fan favourite Violet Crawley’s (played by Maggie Smith) illness, which confirmed she was nearing the end of her life. However, Downton creator Julian Fellowes hinted that it was not the end of the feisty, charming, quick-witted one-line-wonder Crawley.
The Daily Mail reported that the upcoming film will be “Dowager Countess of Grantham’s last hurrah”, as Dame Maggie Smith makes her return as Violet Crawley. She will be joined by French actress Nathalie Baye, who plays “an old friend of Violet’s who comes to visit”.
Expect to welcome some new faces too, including Dominic West (who plays Prince Charles in the upcoming season of The Crown) and Hugh Dancy from the series Hannibal.
The first Downton film raked in more than £110 million in its first month of release, capitalising on a global fandom, proving just how popular the British period drama is. Will A New Era achieve similar success? We will have to wait and see!