The first episode of digital series Downton Abbey: Behind The Lens launched today, teasing fans with what to expect from the new sequel movie. During one interview, producer Gareth Neame said Downton Abbey: A New Era will be “feel good”, but added: “There will be a lot of laughs, there is romance, tragedy, there will be tears shed and most of all we will get to reconnect with this place and the wonderful characters that inhabit it.”
Fans will remember that at the end of the first movie, Maggie Smith’s Dowager confided in Lady Mary that she was terminally ill.
Nevertheless, we all breathed a sigh of relief when Lady Violet showed up in the first trailer for Downton Abbey 2.
Although, she’s suspiciously missing from the wedding photos of Tom Branson’s marriage.
With all this in mind, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Crawley’s matriarch is finally killed off in the first act of the movie, explaining the “tragedy” and “tears” teased by the producer.
Even if she does die, The Dowager will still play a significant role in the storyline, with Lord Grantham star Hugh Bonneville sharing: “Violet [Maggie Smith’s Dowager] has inherited a villa in the south of France.”
Interestingly, there’s no sign of her in the scenes of the Crawleys investigating the home over the English channel, further implying she’s probably dead at this point in the film.
This would mean that her son Robert would inherit the house from her, as he and Cora try and find out the truth.
Meanwhile, back home Lady Mary is facing some tough decisions to help keep the estate going amid financial difficulties.
Downton Abbey 2’s cast are as follows: “Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Penelope Wilton, and new cast members Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, Dominic West, Jonathan Zaccaï.”
Downton Abbey: A New Era arrives in UK cinemas on April 29, 2022.
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