Dominic West has joined the cast for the Downton Abbey movie sequel.
The first film, based on the hit TV series, was released in September 2019 – and was a huge hit at the box office.
The movie and television series, which came to an end in 2015, follows the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them at the turn of the 20th century in an Edwardian English country house.
Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Imelda Staunton and Maggie Smith will reprise their roles in the sequel to the film, which began production last week.
They will be joined by new cast members Dominic West, Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock and Nathalie Baye – with the film set for release on December 22, 2021.
Gareth Neame, the film’s producer and executive chairman of Carnival Films, said: “After a very challenging year with so many of us separated from family and friends, it is a huge comfort to think that better times are ahead and that next Christmas we will be re-united with the much beloved characters of Downton Abbey.”
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski added: “There’s no place like home for the holidays, and we can’t imagine a better gift than getting to reunite with Julian, Gareth, and the entire Downton family in 2021 to bring the Crawley’s back home for their fans.”
We're thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2, with Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West joining!
See the film in theaters this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/OHopFgzqiM
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) April 19, 2021
As well as his new role in Downton Abbey, Dominic has also reportedly joined the cast of The Crown.
Last month, Josh O’Connor seemingly confirmed that The Wire star will replace him as Prince Charles in the upcoming season of the hit Netflix show.
Watch the latest episode of the Gosscast, where the girls chat about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, big splits in Hollywood and the best TV reboots.
