Saturday, November 23, 2024

Exclusive: “Downton Abbey” Movie in Negotiations Now

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It does like “Downton Abbey: The Movie” is going to happen after all.

I’m told Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame are negotiating right now so they can get underway quickly. They’ve got to make the film while all the actors are still available.

The grand finale of the TV show comes March 6th on PBS. “Julian really tied up a lot of loose ends,” Phyllis Logan– plays Mrs. Hughes– told me at last night’s Great Britain event in Los Angeles, hosted by the British Consul. Logan did not tell me about the movie; I’d already heard that it was moving forward.

Other Downtoners at the event were Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore) and Joanna Froggatt (Anna). Logan and Nicol will be doing satellite radio and TV interviews next week for PBS to promote the final episode.

A “Downton” Movie conclusion to the series seems appropriate since the show is really the outgrowth of Fellowes’ Robert Altman directed 2001 film “Gosford Park.” Fellowes wrote “Gosford Park” with actor Bob Balaban. It would be a nice touch to see Balaban come to Downton and complete the circle.

By the way, with all those “Downton” people diverting me, I barely have time to mention the Brit event also brought out James Corden, Eddie Redmayne, cinematographer Roger Deakins, Idris Elba, Alicia Vikander, director Tom Hooper.Minnie Driver, her sister Kate (big talent manager in the UK), and so on. Jamie Cullum provided musical entertainment at Fig & Olive in West Hollywood.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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