Even the Downtons have royal fever. Unfortunately, it's not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visiting the family the first full-length trailer for the long-awaited movie adaptation of the TV series, but King George, grandfather of reigning Queen Elizabeth (if you want to know the drama that went down to get here, just give The Crown a watch). I'd say the Downton Abbey movie looks drama-free, except it's filled with exactly the kind of drama that kept us coming back to the television show for six seasons. There are maids puttering, ladies planning, and the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) making the dry remarks we've missed.
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Speaking of people we've missed, Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Harry Hadden-Paton, David Haig, Geraldine James, Robert James-Collier, Simon Jones, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Stephen Campbell Moore, Lesley Nicol, Kate Phillips, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, and Penelope Wilton are all starring in the film. Still no Jessica Brown Findlay, AKA Lady Sybil Crawley, because unlike Game Of Thrones, Downton doesn't dabble in bringing characters back from the dead.
Yes, Downton Abbey is full of old faces, but they have a decidedly new problem: "The King and Queen are coming to Downton," the Earl of Grantham (Bonneville) remarks in the trailer.
"A royal luncheon, a parade, and a dinner?" a stunned Mrs. Patmore (Nicol) exclaims. "I'm going to have to sit down."
With the help of the trusty downstairs employees — and the return of Mr. Carson (Carter) — the family readies their already magnificent home for royal guests. We don't get to see who plays the King and Queen in the trailer, but if Olivia Colman doesn't somehow find her way into this, I'll be very disappointed.
Downton Abbey arrives in theaters September 20.
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