Possible Plots For The ‘Downton Abbey’ Movie

Downton Abbey fans have been longing for a bit more ever since the end of the series was announced, and with the news that there will be a Downton Abbey movie, the new parlor game is to guess what terrain the new movie will cover. With just about the whole cast back, this guessing game (with a few clues) will have to tide fans over until next year.

Vanity Fair says that producer Gareth Neame gave some thoughts about a possible movie going forward, saying that maybe they will tell a whole different story.

“It doesn’t need to directly pick up from the TV show. [A movie] could come before it or midway through it. It’s a very different story than the series.”

Julian Fellowes had previously said he didn’t want to leap to 1930 because that was when his film Gosford Park took place, but that would set it apart from the series. Julian Fellowes has obviously made the decision about whether or not he wants to tie up loose ends, or if he wants to do something completely new. Fellowes isn’t talking, and Neame had just thought out loud after the finale, so it really is a guessing game.

Vanity Fair suggests that the movie could surround an event, like Robert and Cora’s 40th anniversary. The two were married in 1890, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable, especially if Fellowes decided to do some of the film in a flashback to the couple’s beginning.

When we last saw the Crawley family and their staff, Edith had just married above Mary, causing a shake-up in the dynamic, Anna had her baby, Carson had gotten a diagnosis, and Thomas had received a promotion. All of those storylines are ripe for the picking.

But Neame is interested in keeping people guessing.

“I suppose there are some things that are unresolved that you could explore in a movie, but they’re not things that need to be resolved. So if the film doesn’t ever happen, just as in life, some things are reached to conclusion, and other things are still active. We’re thinking, if we make the film, there’s lots of things we haven’t done yet [in the series] that we would be able to do.”

Delighted to announce we’re getting the band back together! #DowntonMovie #DowntonAbbey pic.twitter.com/ie3K2xr3Iv

— Joanne Froggatt (@JoFroggatt) July 13, 2018

While fans can’t be sure which direction Fellowes will go for the Downton Abbey movie, there have been some guesses. Henry Talbot and Tom Branson went into business together. Will it succeed, making the two wealthier than Robert, or will it fail and will both men want to get back into the business of Downton?

Will Cora’s family be part of the movie, creating another compare and contrast between the American Levinson family and the Crawley? Vanity Fair had one last guess, sending the family into another inheritance crisis.

“Does Robert reveal that he secretly fathered an illegitimate son before siring Mary, leading to a family reunion and inheritance crisis? “

Fellowes wouldn’t put fans through that again, would he?