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Executive producer Gareth Neame opened up about how the late Maggie Smith‘s passing affected the production of the upcoming Downton Abbey 3 movie. Focus Features will release the third installment of the acclaimed period drama film franchise in theaters on September 12, 2025.
Prior to Smith’s passing last September at the age of 89, the award-winning actress was last seen as Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey: A New Era. Even though the fan-favorite character died at the end of the 2022 movie, Neame confirmed that her presence will still be felt in the upcoming Downton Abbey 3 as fans will see how the loss of the Downton family matriarch affects the remaining characters.
“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway,” Neame said (via TVLine). “The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”
Who’s involved in Downton Abbey 3?
Downton Abbey 3 will once again feature returning cast members Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Michelle Dockery as Mary, Laura Carmichael as Edith, Jim Carter as Carson, Phyllis Logan as Elsie, Robert James-Collier as Thomas, Joanne Froggatt as Anna, Allen Leech as Tom, Penelope Wilton as Isobel, Lesley Nicol as Beryl, Michael Fox as Andy, Raquel Cassidy as Phyllis, Brendan Coyle as John Bates, Kevin Doyle as Joseph Moseley, Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie, Sophie McShera as Daisy, and Douglas Reith as Dickie, with Paul Giamatti and Dominic West reprising their respective roles as Cora Grantham’s brother Harold Levinson from Seasons 3-4 and Guy Dexter from the 2022 movie. They will be joined by new cast members Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan.
The film is directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Simon Curtis from a screenplay written by Fellowes. At the moment, further details about the third installment’s plot are still being kept under wraps. It is produced by Fellowes, Gareth Neame, and Liz Trubridge. It is a production by Carnival Films, with Focus Features and Universal Pictures International distributing.
