Maggie Smith has reportedly signed on for the Downton Abbey movie adaptation, which means the entire main cast is now officially on board.
Smith will reprise her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, according to a report by PEOPLE. Sources told the outlet that she has agreed to help bring the beloved British drama to the big screen.
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“Since the series ended, fans of Downton have long been waiting for the Crawley family’s next chapter,” Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski told PEOPLE. “We’re thrilled to join this incredible group of filmmakers, actors and craftspeople, led by Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame, in bringing back the world of Downton to the big screen.”
In addition to Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern are all signed up already to make the movie happen. On top of that, Brian Percival is reportedly on board to direct. Percival directed the pilot of the original series, which aired back in 2010.
Downton Abbey follows the Crawley family, an elite tribe in the British aristocracy during the 20th century. The family’s servants also featured heavily in the show, addressing the real-world lives of the rich often left out of fiction.
After the movie was announced, actress Lily James confirmed that she will not be returning to her role as Lady Rose MacClare. Rose emigrated to the United States in the original series, which means that her inclusion in the movie would be anachronistic.
“My character Rose moved off to New York, so it would be farfetched to bring her back,” James told PEOPLE. “I would have loved to have come back for a scene, but for a movie it can’t be like a Christmas special and it needs to be a focused storyline. There was no space for Rose.”
Downton Abbey raked in a staggering 15 Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards in its five years on the air. Smith was a huge part of that acclaim. Now 83 years old, she brought authenticity to the show’s period-based aesthetic. In addition, she likely drew in many young viewers who knew and loved her from her time as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series.
The Downton Abbey film has yet to receive an official title. The project has an IMDb page, where Smith and the other stars are listed, as well as Percival. Right now, the only writer credited is Julian Fellowes, who created the original series.
