It's time to dust off the jewels and pull out the satin gloves again as the cast of British historical drama Downton Abbey return for a sequel to the hit 2019 film this December.
"We're thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2," the Downton Abbey Twitter account posted on Monday, adding the premiere is set for Christmas Day.
New cast members will include English actors Dominic West, Hugh Dancy and Laura Haddock, as well as French actress Nathalie Baye.
Created by Fellowes, Downton Abbey first premiered as a TV series in 2010 in the UK and revolved around the aristocratic Crawley family and their extended army of servants. The show was a massive ratings hit when it premiered in the US the next year, immediately garnering a global fan base, and ran for six seasons. The final episode was shown on Christmas Day in 2015.
During its run, Downton Abbey earned many awards and broke a number of records, including the most nominated TV show in Emmy Awards history, with 27 nominations after two seasons.
The film version, which released in 2019, was set about two years after the events of the show's final episode, and focused on a royal visit – that of King George V and Queen Mary's – to the Crawley estate. The $20 million film was a major success, and went on to make $134 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
While rumours of a sequel have been doing the rounds since the first movie released, fans were naturally elated by the confirmation.
“This is just what we need to look forward to in these difficult times,” one fan tweeted.
“I literally am so excited! Downton is my forever favourite show! Even my ringtone!” another pointed out.
Some fans wondered if Dame Maggie Smith, whose character was one of the highlights of the show, will return for the sequel. Smith’s Violet Crawley made a shocking revelation regarding her health in the last film.
“Well hopefully Maggie Smith too. We didn’t see her die on screen,” a fan posted.
In a recent interview, Fellowes seemed to calmed fans’ nerves about the beloved actress’ character.
"We should remember that at the end of the film, Maggie was by no means dead," he said. "You imagine Violet is on her way out, but that decision hasn't been reached.”
When asked about the possible film sequel, lead actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays the Earl of Grantham Robert Crawley, told BBC Radio 2 in February that the entire cast was raring to go again.
“There is certainly the intention to do it. We would love to do it, we are desperate to do it, and I think it’s the sort of pleasurable release of a movie like the first one was, that audiences would enjoy after all of this mess we have been through,” he said.
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
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