'Downton Abbey' Movie Filming In Summer 2018? Production Reportedly Books Highclere Castle
Will the "Downton Abbey" movie start filming in the summer of 2018? A booking for Highclere Castle hints that production plans might be underway.
Highclere Castle was the setting of the highly acclaimed drama series for six seasons. The establishment in Berkshire, which usually opens to the public, won't apparently be taking in guests from May 30 to July 7 next year, as per Express.
Speculations are that these blocked off dates will coincide with the filming the "Downton Abbey" movie spinoff. Visitors won't be allowed on the site while the cast and crew work.
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Despite the news, there hasn't been any confirmation from the studio and creator Julian Fellowes about the production schedule. For months, Fellowes and the actors professed that rounding up everyone back together became the biggest hurdle to getting the "Downton Abbey" movie made. Most of the cast and crew moved on to different projects since the television series aired its last episode in 2015.
"We really are positive something will happen but it is difficult getting together 18 cast members," star Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) said. "We're all busy doing other things — thanks to the show — but I'm hopeful something will happen."
Fellowes claimed that the script to the movie spinoff has long been finished. NBC Universal International Studios president Michael Edelstein confirmed during a recent "Downton Abbey" exhibition that the project remains active as production works out the kinks.
If plans follow the proper course, the film might drop in theatres in 2019. Dockery said that despite the end of "Downton Abbey," viewers remain interested about the show and its characters.
"The rumours keep continuing and I think it's only a positive sign that people aren't quite done with it," the actress told US Weekly.
"Downton Abbey" ran with 52 episodes including Christmas specials from 2011 to 2015 on ITV in the U.K. and PBS in the U.S. The show received various honours including a Guinness record for the most critically acclaimed television show of 2011.
