NEED TO KNOW
- Focus Features has released the first trailer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
- The third film in the franchise “follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s,” per an official synopsis
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is in theaters Sept. 12
The Crawleys are back!
A newly released teaser trailer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale gives the first glimpse at the highly anticipated film, which “follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s,” per an official synopsis.
It adds, “As the beloved cast of characters navigates how to lead Downton Abbey into the future, they must embrace change and welcome a new chapter.”
While the trailer doesn’t give too much away in terms of specific storylines, it features a montage of emotional moments — including one where Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary looks on poignantly at a portrait of Violet Crawley (previously played by the late Maggie Smith).
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Much of the main cast will return for the third installment in the Downton Abbey franchise, including Dockery, 43, plus, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Laura Carmichael.
Returning stars also include Paul Giamatti, who will reprise his role as Cora Crawley’s brother, Harold Levinson. Also returning is Dominic West, who played silent movie star Guy Dexter in Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Directed by Simon Curtis and penned by Downton creator Julian Fellowes, The Grand Finale will also include new faces like Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan.
Downton Abbey depicted the glamorous highs and dramatic lows of the aristocratic Crawley family for six seasons on television between 2010 to 2015. Two big-screen releases followed: 2019’s Downton Abbey and 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.
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The last installment in the Downton Abbey franchise followed the Crawleys digging into the mystery behind a French villa inherited by Violet.
Meanwhile, Dockery’s Lady Mary oversaw the production of a silent film at Downton while being romantically pursued by its director. The film ended with the death of Smith’s Dowager Countess of Grantham, a loss that feels even stronger now given Smith died in September 2024.
The third film was announced by Focus Features and Carnival Films last May with an Instagram video showing cast members laughing and hugging as they reunited on set. Dockery shared that it felt “emotional” to return for one more chapter in Downton Abbey’s story.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is in theaters Sept. 12.
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