DOWNTON ABBEY 3 Producer Says the Sequel Will Pay "Meaningful" Tribute to Maggie Smith and Her Character
Beloved actress Maggie Smith passed away this year in late September, and despite her legacy of two Academy Award wins, and a long list of memorable roles, her absence will still be sorely felt in the upcoming film Downton Abbey 3.
The sequel to the TV series and previous two films will pay homage to Smith, whose character, the Dowager Countess, passed away at the end of the second movie, Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Executive producer Gareth Neame promises that the third film will include a tribute to both the character and to Smith herself. Neame told TVLine:
“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway.
The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”
Neame calls her loss “the end of an era,” saying, “We will never see the like of Dame Maggie Smith ever again.” He also said the Downton Abbey cast and crew’s “huge respect” will “come across in the next movie.”
Returning for part 3 is Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera, Douglas Reith and Dominic West , alongside exciting new additions, Paul Giamatti, Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, Arty Froushan, and many others.
Downton Abbey 3 is set to hit theatres on September 12th, 2025.
via: Variety