'Downton Abbey' Plan B Script Being Prepared in Case Actors Don't Return
Ever since the hit TV series "Downton Abbey" aired its final episode back in March 2016, rumors about a possible film adaptation haven't seemed to die down. Until finally, news broke that a "Downton Abbey" film has been green-lit by NBCUniversal International Studios.
The studio announced earlier last week that the "Downton Abbey" film may be released sometime in 2018 and upon this news, fans have been wondering if the cast of the series will return to reprise their roles. Michael Edelstein of NBCUniversal earlier expressed his desire to reunite the beloved cast of the series.
But unfortunately, that seems to be the biggest challenge of all as the creator of the show, Julian Fellowes, said that he is also preparing a script for a possible sequel in the case that the actors aren't able to reprise their roles.
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"I think it would be possible to do a prequel that was re-cast and do a love story, so you went right back and had the young cast arriving in the show as footmen and Mrs. Patmore being a kitchen maid," Fellowes said in an interview with The Mirror.
Fellowes revealed he has already started developing the script as a backup plan. If this script were to be used, it would set the story back 30 years prior to the storyline followed by "Downton Abbey."
"I hope there will be a film. It will be sad if we don't do one. Most films are a punt and we have a solid audience waiting for it. The difficulty is rounding up the actors who have now gone off to the four corners of the earth, in Hollywood, on Broadway, doing plays, doing series and so on," Fellowes added.
"Downton Abbey" is one of the most successful international TV series being broadcasted in 150 different countries during its run.
