Downton Abbey: Maggie Smith teases a shocking discovery in movie sequel's first trailer

15 November 2021, 14:43

Watch the first trailer for Downton Abbey: A New Era

The first trailer has been unveiled for Downton Abbey: A New Era, and it promises some shocks for the Crawley family.

Dame Maggie Smith leads the returning cast of the film sequel, which will be released at cinemas on March 18, 2022.

The trailer teases that Violet Crawley (Smith) is off to the South of France to see an old flame, much to the surprise of her family.

Watch the full trailer above.

The entire cast of the first Downton Abbey film is back for A New Era: 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, and Penelope Wilton.

They will be joined by new cast members Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, Dominic West and Jonathan Zaccaï.

Creator Julian Fellowes has written the script of the new film, with My Week with Marilyn's Simon Curtis directing.

Fellowes recently called the instalment an “unashamedly feel-good movie” that reflects the societal shifts that occurred in the 1920s.

“It’s really a new era,” Fellowes told People. “The further the ’20s went along, the more the world was changing in so many ways. Everything from entertainment to transport was really different by the end of the ’20s. That’s what we’re referring to in that.”

He added that the film will continue showing how Lady Mary (Dockery) is “effectively running the show”, saying: “We’re trying to mark the change — the fact that Crawleys of Downton are nearly in the 1930s, which is merely the beginning of the modern world."

The original Downton Abbey ITV series won 69 Emmy nominations during its run, winning 15. The first film grossed over $193 million worldwide.