Downton Abbey star teases the movie will be full of "romance"
Joanne Froggatt has given us a little hint of what to expect from the Downton Abbey movie.
The actress, who plays Anna Bates in the series, spoke to The Telegraph in a wide-ranging interview and teased that the film will be full of "romance" and "intrigue".
And although she's been sworn to secrecy about the plot, she did promise that it would be everything the fans want.
"Romance, fun, surprises, sadness and intrigue. Everything people want, but elevated. Anna is in a really good place. She and Mr Bates have a baby boy, now 18 months old. She is passionate about helping Lady Mary with the running of Downton, about keeping the legacy going,” the actress said.
Speaking about the cast getting back together for the project, Froggatt compared it to a school reunion.
“It’s amazing that people wanted us back to do the movie,” she continued. “It was so surreal. Everyone who was there at the end is there in the movie. It was like a lovely school reunion.”
Back in 2017, it was confirmed that there was a big screen spin-off "in the works", but it felt like it would never happen – especially as one of the issues was getting all the cast back together almost three years after the finale aired.
The movie has been written by creator Julian Fellowes and was originally going to be directed by Brian Percival, who directed the show's original pilot, before he stepped aside. He will now executive produce the film and Michael Engler – who directed four episodes of the show and the pilot for Fellowes' new show The Gilded Age – will now direct.
The Downton Abbey movie has a confirmed release date of September 13, 2019 in the UK, with the US release coming a week later on September 20, 2019.
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