The release date for Downton Abbey 2 has been delayed to 2022. The highly anticipated follow-up film, written by original series creator Julian Fellowes and directed by Simon Curtis, was previously intended for a theatrical release in December. Downton Abbey 2 is expected to feature most of the same cast as the previous film – including Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, and Jim Carter – as well as new additions like Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, and Dominic West.
Over the course of its initial six-season TV run, Downton Abbey achieved high critical acclaim and became one of the most popular series of the 21st century. The show’s stellar performances, historical intrigue, and high production values attracted a large fan following both within the UK and internationally. When Downton inevitably ended its run, its viewers were understandably disappointed, which made the 2019 sequel film of the same name especially exciting. Downton Abbey 2 will once again bring the world of the Crawley family to the big screen.
Unfortunately, that return has now been delayed by a few months. Downton Abbey 2 had a planned North American theatrical release date of December 22, 2021, but a new report from Variety says the film has been pushed to a new date of March 18, 2022. The original release date would have seen Downton Abbey 2 competing with a number of major holiday releases, including The Matrix 4 and The King’s Man. Now the new March premiere will put the movie in theaters one week before the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The original Downton Abbey film took place in 1927, a little over a year after the show ended. The story of the movie involved a visit from the British royal family, which threw the whole of the Downton Abbey estate into an excited frenzy. The movie also dealt loosely with the implications for old-world institutions like Downton in an increasingly modern era. Presumably, the sequel will continue to address those themes, likely through the new mystery characters being played by Dancy, Haddock, Baye, and West.
Downton Abbey made close to $200 million internationally when it released in 2019. It should be interesting to see if, several years further out from the end of the series, the sequel finds the same level of success. Movie sequels to popular shows have become a bigger trend in recent years, with other examples like the Breaking Bad film El Camino and the recent Psych movies also continuing their stories post-cancellation. Hopefully, Downton Abbey 2 will be another satisfying entry for audiences to enjoy when it releases on March 18, 2022.
Source: Variety
