Fans of the megahit television show Downton Abbey finally have a reason to celebrate two years after the series ended: A Downton film has been greenlit and a budget approved.
For all of us left weeping on our couches after the series finale, this news is music to our ears.
A source told The Sun that “film bosses have requested the services of crew members and accountants to work on the picture,” assuring fans “it would take something big to stop the project from happening now.”
And, to add hope to the hopeful, writer and show creator Julian Fellowes alluded to working on a script earlier this year.
“I’ve done some work on it because I don’t want to be caught out if the producers suddenly say yes and then it’s all go,” Fellowes confessed to the London Evening Standard.
So, with the budget set and script done, what’s left to get this Downton party started?
Well, it seems the powers that be need to get the now-super-famous actors all in one place. Which could be a bit trickier now that the stars of the beloved period drama have become rather popular since their time at Highclere Castle.
The one and only Lady Mary, also known in real-life as Michelle Dockery, has starred in several films including “Non-Stop” and “The Sense of an Ending.” You can also catch her in the television series “Good Behavior” on TNT.
And, several castmates have taken on roles in Disney blockbusters. Who could forget Lady Rose actress Lily James as the title role in Disney’s “Cinderella”?
And, wasn’t that our old friend Matthew, also known as actor Dan Stevens, as the prince in this year’s “Beauty and the Beast”?
RELATED: Dan Stevens Wore A 40-Pound Suit And Walked On Stilts For ‘Beauty And The Beast’
But, busy schedules aside, stars of the most successful show in Masterpiece history are hopeful the project will indeed happen.
Phyllis Logan, the actress who played Mrs. Hughes, told Good Morning Britain the cast would love to reunite: “We’d love all to get back together again and have one last hurrah, we certainly would.”
At the same time, Joanne Froggatt famous for her role as lady’s maid Anna Bates, shared her confidence with GMB. “I am 90 per cent sure it will happen,” she told them.
We certainly hope so. For now, Downton fans must sit like ladies in waiting for the film to begin shooting.