'Downton Abbey' Movie News: Cast Members Willing to Return, But There Is a Bigger Hurdle

By Janna Dela Cruz, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Two years after the historical period drama "Downton Abbey" wrapped up, there is the same level of interest and excitement for a movie spinoff.

The cast members of the drama, which ended in 2015 after six seasons, are willing to make it happen. This includes Allen Leech, who played the role of Tom Branson.

Speaking to Huffington Post, the actor said that the challenge in making the "Downton Abbey" movie is getting the band back together:

There's a great willingness among all of us to do it. And it's just as [series creator Julian Fellowes] said, "Trying to get everyone in one place. It's like herding cats."

This is echoed by Michelle Dockery, who "Downton Abbey" fans came to know and love as Lady Mary, while speaking to Variety:

Getting everyone together at the right time, it's not easy. But there seems to be a want for it. I'm hopeful that it will happen. Just getting everyone together at the same time isn't easy. There's 18 strong cast members in this.

With that huge ensemble, what is ahead of the people in charge is a herculean task of working through what is imagined to be lot of schedule-related kinks.

On the other hand, Joanne Froggatt, who became a household name for her award-winning portrayal of Anna Bates, said that they are just waiting for the call:

Gareth Neame is our executive producer and he said ... "There is a script and everyone's keen and they are hoping to make it happen." But they kind of need to ... give us all a call.

Interestingly, Dockery revealed in the abovementioned interview that there is no script yet —at least she is yet to read one.

This suggests that there is no significant progress in the development of the "Downton Abbey" movie from when it was first talked about two years ago, when the actress said a script is not in place yet:

I can't tell you any more than what I've said before. I'm hopeful that it would happen at some point, but that's all I can tell you for now. We'll see what happens.