Julian Fellowes reveals he’s started work on Downton Abbey film

The show's creator has admitted that he's already started penning a screenplay 
New project: Julian Fellowes with Rufus Hound as The Amazing Mr Toad and Neil McDermott as Chief Weasel
Alex Lentati
Alistair Foster27 January 2017
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has revealed he has started working on a film based on the hit period drama.

There has been long-standing speculation that the ITV show, which ran for six series, is heading for the big screen.

Jim Carter — who played the butler, Carson — recently said cast members had been asked to keep themselves free for filming, with fellow stars Dame Maggie Smith, Lily James and Hugh Bonneville among those expected to be involved.

Now, speaking at the launch of his new West End musical The Wind In The Willows, Lord Fellowes told the Standard:

“I’ve done some work on it because I don’t want to be caught out if they [producers] suddenly say yes and then it’s all go.

“But there’s a lot of things — can we round up all the cast? Can we get them? Also we just need the green light at the beginning. So I don’t know any more than that at the moment to be honest.”

He refused to reveal details of the plot and where or when it would be set. Since the last Downton Abbey episode aired in 2015, Lord Fellowes has turned his attention to musicals, with The Wind In The Willows following his work on Mary Poppins and School Of Rock.

BAFTA celebrates Downton Abbey

1/5

The show, which stars Rufus Hound as Toad, has toured the UK and opens at the London Palladium on June 29.

Lord Fellowes, 67, believes that with the current political climate, uplifting entertainment is more vital than ever.

He said: “I think this show is a feel-good show — I know that term is often used disparagingly. You should leave the theatre feeling warm and happy.

"You feel you almost have to apologise for being that way, but it should be the goal of entertainers to entertain. I’m sure this is part of the success of La La Land, a most uncomplicated attempt to entertain which has been strikingly successful.

“Because there’s so little at the moment. If you feel like being cheered up after having an awful week, God knows you don’t go and see Manchester By The Sea! So I hope we do provide a good evening’s fun.”

Previews at the London Palladium begin on June 17, with the official opening on June 29. Tickets available from willowsmusical.com

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in