Ladies and gentlemen, you are cordially invited to immerse yourself in the most spectacular movie event of the year as, after a long wait, Downton Abbey: A New Era is finally in cinemas.
If like us, you’ve not-so patiently been waiting to catch up with the Crawley family, the time to watch them on the big screen is here.
Three years after Downton Abbey became a huge box office smash, adored by doting fans, all your favourites including Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and even Violet (Maggie Smith) and her hysterical one liners are back in Downton Abbey: A New Era.
The latest installment follows the Crawley family’s lavish trip to the South of France after the Dowager Countess casually reveals she has inherited a villa from an old suitor. Alright for some!
Subsequently, the Crawley family pack their bags and set off on a spectacular adventure to stay at the grand residency.
‘They better be warned, the British are coming,’ Mr. Carson teases in the trailer.
Elsewhere, Tom Branson is remarrying and a film crew takes over Downton Abbey to make a moving picture, which provides plenty of drama both on and off camera.
Produced by Gareth Neame’s Carnival Films and a sharp script by Julian Fellowes, the creative forces who have brought the Crawleys to life from the beginning, along with director Simon Curtis and producer Liz Trubridge, the team have outdone themselves.
As if we could be anymore excited, here are five indisputable reasons why Downton Abbey: A New Era simply must be enjoyed on the big screen.
1. Yes, quite literally all your favourite characters are back
‘Do I look like I’d turn down a villa in the South of France?’ gasps Violet. And quite right too, who would turn down a villa from a former admirer?
Not us, and thankfully in the new film we get to enjoy Violet’s unexpected inheritance vicariously through the Crawley family, as they try to unravel her secret past with this mysterious man.
Remarkably, the entire cast has returned for the new adventure, bringing all the comfort and familiarity fans loved from the six series and first movie.
The indisputable icon that is Maggie Smith is back with Violet’s dry quips, as well as Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary), Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley), Elizabeth McGovern (Cora Crawley), Joanne Froggatt (Anna), Jim Carter (Mr Carson), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes), Imelda Staunton (Maud), Penelope Wilton (Isobel Merton) and every single one of your favourite Downton stars.
2. Newcomers Hugh Dancy and Dominic West fit perfectly into the star-studded cast
As if the promise of all the Downton favourites wasn’t enough, Hugh Dancy and Dominic West are joining in the fun too.
West joins Downton Abbey: A New Era as 1920s Hollywood heartthrob Guy Dexter who plays the dashing lead in the movie being filmed at Downton.
While Dancy stars as the film’s director, Jack Barber.
3. For the first time Downton is going global
Finally, the Crawley family will be packing all their glamour and taking the contents of their enviable wardrobes to the sun-drenched French Riviera for the ‘grandest escape of the year’.
The Villa of The Doves is luxurious enough to give even Downton a run for its money, while the Crawley family spends their trip zooming along the breath-taking coastlines in classic speed boats, kissing new loves on the golden beaches (Branson, we’re looking at you!), and attending the most extravagant bashes ever seen in Downton Abbey.
And that’s saying something.
4. Experience the 1920s Hollywood glamour at Downton
What could be more fabulous than a movie being shot at Downton?
The Hollywood glamour of the 1920s is coming to Downton Abbey and, naturally, it’s a match made in heaven.
Starlet Myrna Dalgleish (played by Laura Haddock) drenches Downton in even more style and glamour, bursting into the abbey in glimmering costumes, and dripping in jewels like a true Hollywood diva.
And Guy Dexter clearly makes quite the impression on Daisy.
Could the young cook be swept off her feet by an actual movie star? There’s only one way to find out…
5. Treat yourself to the perfect escape at the cinema
Find a better suggestion for a lazy afternoon or cosy date night than escaping to the picturesque Riviera with the Crawleys and ogling at all the 1920s glamour on the big screen.
Think of anything? Nope, didn’t think so.
There is simply nothing better than putting that phone away, cradling a humongous box of popcorn and letting the big screen experience wash over you.
And, perhaps more importantly, if you don’t catch Downton Abbey: A New Era in the cinema, how are you possibly going to avoid all the inevitable spoilers?
There really is only one way to make sure you are the first to know the truth behind Violet’s mysterious past, and that’s to book your tickets to see Downton Abbey: A New Era in a cinema near you ASAP.
Only in cinemas April 29. Book your tickets now!
