It’s genuinely the end of Downton Abbey, with the Crawleys moving into the late 1930s and ready for their final bow.
With a trailer out today, Julian Fellowes’ Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale takes the series’ beloved characters further into the decade, following the early ’30s glamour of the second film. The film will not only re-create London’s West End, Ascot Racecourse, and other city sites in the ’30s, but will also bring the characters back to where it all began, the titular mansion that started it all.
The Grand Finale will notably include a tribute to the late Dame Maggie Smith, whose longtime performance as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, essentially defined the Downton experience. Violet died at the end in Downton Abbey: A New Era, released two years before Smith’s own passing in September 2024. In the trailer, we glimpse a scene of Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) pausing to reflect on a portrait of her grandmother, Violet, within the hallowed halls.
It’s tough to say goodbye, on many levels.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is in cinemas Sept. 12.
