Billed as the third and, supposedly, final film in the Downton Abbey big screen story arc, Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley) revealed in a recent Collider interview that the upcoming feature film return to Downton will be both a fitting tribute to the late Dame Maggie Smith and a welcoming return of Paul Giamatti as Harold Levinson, Dockery’s onscreen uncle.

Dockery said, “It’s a beautiful film. For us, it was such a treat to be able to come back together again. It’s a real tribute to Maggie Smith, the film.” Smith sadly passed away last September aged 89 with her on-screen character, Violet, dying at the end of the second film, Downton Abbey: A New Era.

Regarding the return of ‘Uncle Harold’, Dockery said, “Working with Paul again was wonderful. He’s so much fun. And because he was already part of the family, it was lovely to have him back on set, so I’m really excited to see the final film.”

For the third and publicly stated final film (that is, of course, unless a magical Christmas special materializes at some point), the Crawley family attempts to navigate the challenges of the 1930s and the societal changes and personal upheaval that that brings with it.

Regarding the upcoming film and how his character will attempt to meet the 30s head on, Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham) revealed to Yahoo UK, “For my character, I think the usual can be expected, which is that he’s a sort of dinosaur trying to be led into the future reluctantly, and then eventually he stumbles forward a bit. So, as always, there’s that rhythm of things changing with glacial slowness, and Robert finally accepting that things are changing — it’s time to move the story on, so to speak.“

Executive producer Gareth Neame in a recent TV Line interview confirmed that the upcoming film will include a tribute to both the actress and the character. “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,” said Neame.

The third Downton Abbey film is scheduled to hit the big screen on September 12, 2025!