‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ Trailer Teases Mystery

After the success of the Masterpiece PBS and ITV series and 2019 “Downton Abbey” movie, the franchise is ramping up for “Downton Abbey: A New Era.”

The trailer just dropped, and Lady Crawley says it all, exclaiming, “The modern world comes to Downton.”

The clip shows Downton going a bit meta in this sequel, with a movie being filmed at the beloved estate. One of the major storylines will have Michelle Dockery’s Mary helping to produce a motion picture, though Hugh Bonneville’s Lord Grantham remains unimpressed, remarking how “actresses plastered in makeup and actors just plastered” will be taking over his home.

Of course, the younger family members and staff are giddy with excitement at the arrival of movie stars played by “The Affair’s” Dominic West and “Guardians of the Galaxy’s” Laura Haddock.

That’s not the only excitement the new film brings! It also delves into the“mysterious past” of Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess after she inherits a villa in the French Riviera. The trailer explains that the villa comes from a man with whom she had a relationship before the birth of her son, Lord Grantham.

Lord Grantham does not seem pleased with this sudden reveal of his mother’s life before him, but he’s not the only one taken aback. In the trailer, Isobel Crawley, played by Penelope Winston, questions the mystery, saying, “They spent a few days together and he gives her a house…” But of course, in order to unravel the mystery, the Crawleys must travel down to the French Riviera and to the villa in question.

To this, Jim Carter’s Mr. Carson announces, “The British are coming.” However, it seems not all members leave the estate, as Mary appears to stay behind to help with the aforementioned movie.

It also looks like Mary is stepping into a role as a modern woman, and her grandmother, the Dowager Countess, gives her the following advice: “Women like us fall into two categories: dragons and fools. You must make sure they think of you as a dragon.”

The movie sequel is once again written by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes and has Simon Curtis stepping into the role of director.

Among other returning cast members, we will also see Laura Carmichael, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesley Nicol and Imelda Staunton reprising their roles.

As for newcomers, along with West and Haddock, fans will see Hugh Dancy, Nathalie Baye and Jonathan Zaccaï.

Of course, it marks the return of the amazing period dresses and set pieces that fans became accustomed to with the series.

The film was initially meant to hit theaters in December 2021 before being bumped to March 2022, but was pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic.