Downton Abbey Movie to Begin Production
A Downton Abbey movie is in the works!! Yes you read that right! Production is likely to begin in 2018, an NBCUniversal executive confirmed on Wednesday.
Michael Edelstein, President of NBCUniversal International Studios, said it hopes to assemble 20 cast members from the popular TV series.
“There is a movie in the works. It’s been in the works for some time” Edelstein told the Associated Press in Singapore at a red-carpet event for “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition”, which features costumes, sets and never-seen-before footage from the TV series. The exhibition opened in Singapore last week and ends July 31st.
“We are working on getting the script right and then we’ve to figure out how to get the cast together. Because as you know, people go on and do other things. But we’re hopeful to make a movie sometime next year” Edelstein said.
Cast Members React
Cast members at the exhibition said they were not aware of the movie. “Oh, well, you’ve got the confirmation before us. We have no idea if this is happening” said Sophie McShera, who played assistant cook Daisy Mason. “But we would all love to be part of the film if it was to happen, for sure”
Laura Carmichael, who played Lady Edith Crawley in the series, quipped “Well, tell my agent, because we’re still waiting to know. We’re hoping it will happen soon”
Downton Abbey, which concluded in 2015, portrays the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family in England and their servants amid the backdrop of such historical events as the sinking of the Titanic and World War I. It has become a popular TV show being aired in 150 countries.
Fans lined the red carpet in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of the stars. Student Jessica Nobleza, 15, held up a sign that read, “You helped us pass history”
“When I got into the show, it was kind of exam period. And season one and two involves World War I, and how it affected the whole era” she explained
The Downton Abbey exhibition is to travel to the US and Australia at a later date. For more information, head to the official Downton Abbey exhibition site.
