I am unapologetic in my love for Downton Abbey. Even when the show jumped the shark – the fake Patrick Crawley-who-survived-the-Titanic episode – I was still watching it. I stayed watching it when the show jumped the shark AGAIN, and Cousin Matthew could suddenly walk again after feeling some tingles in his legs. I was even watching it during the super-ridiculous “Mr. Bates in jail” storyline. As I said, I watched every damn episode and I enjoyed every moment of that dumb soap opera. That’s all it was in the end: a dumb soap opera with great locations and interesting costumes. Personally, I thought they said goodbye to the show on the right note. They gave all of the main characters some sense of “this is how they rest of their lives will be” and I didn’t feel let down at all.
But now they’re making a Downton Abbey movie and I don’t know how to feel. It was announced last week that the deal came together quickly, and Julian Fellowes already has a script and the main actors have signed on, including Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith. I hope to God Matthew Goode is on board, just because I love the fact that after all of Lady Mary’s snobbery, she’s married to a guy who owns a garage/car dealership. But one person who isn’t along for the ride? Lily James, who played the replacement daughter Rose.
When the Downton Abbey cast returns for the upcoming big screen movie adaption, it will be without one of the series’ beloved stars: Lily James. The actress, who starred as Lady Rose MacClare on the PBS drama, confirmed to PEOPLE that she will not appear in the Downton Abbey movie, which has officially been greenlit.
“I’m sadly not, but I’m so excited for it — I’m going to be front row,” James, 29, tells PEOPLE of not being part of the film. “I spoke to Laura [Carmichael] not long ago and was texting Michelle [Dockery] about Love Island and it’s going to be really exciting. And the whole gang is coming back.”
As for why James’ character will not be featured in the film, the British star confirms that “it wasn’t schedules.” She explains: “My character Rose moved off to New York, so it would be farfetched to bring her back. I would have loved to have come back for a scene, but for a movie it can’t be like a Christmas special and it needs to be a focused storyline,” James adds, noting, “There was no space for Rose.”
“There was no space for Rose” should have been the theme of the TV show. They brought in Rose after they killed off Lady Sybil and Rose landed with a thud. But whatever, it is what it is. I’m glad Rose won’t be around because her storylines are the worst. I hope the film stays true to its roots and it’s all about Lady Edith and Lady Mary’s sisterly bitchfights through World War II. The fact that there’s no Rose in the movie is actually a good thing. Maybe? Could this movie actually be sort of LIT? (Edwardian-LIT!)
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Just make a two hour movie of Maggie Smith staring things to death and throwing out burns like Vesuvius just kicked off again, that’s what people want.
Yes, it would not have been right to have a movie without Maggie Smith in all her glory! Can’t wait!
Just watch “Gosford Park” instead — a Robert Altman movie that is far superior to Downton Abbey in very way. (Downton Abbey is really just a parody of Gosford Park). Maggie Smith is much better in G.P. than D.A., because of vastly superior writing and directing. And Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott Thomas, Eileen Atkins, Kelly MacDonald, et al., are all so wonderful in G.P., you will never want to watch Downton Abbey again.
You do realise that Julian Fellowes – creator and writer of Downton Abbey – also wrote Gosford Park? It is the exact same writer. Altman’s incredible direction and the insane cast also elevate GP but it was the success of that movie that led Fellowes to then create DA.
THIS. PLEASE.
cannot wait for this movie!!!!! yayyyyyyyy!!!!
Mrs Patmore! Daisy! Mrs Hughes! The dogs! Isabel and Violet bickering!
I thought Downton had one of the best endings of a TV show. I would have been happy if that had been the last we saw of the Crawley family as everything was wrapped up with happy endings all around. That said, I’ll still be there for this movie on the first weekend! I know the show was a crazy, soapy mess but I just love all the characters I want to see their stories continue.
I hope it’s not something where Bates or Anna is in prison again though, or their baby is kidnapped (or in prison!) Something soapy but not Bates centric would be good.
I always skipped through the Bates-parts because I hated them with the fury of a thousand suns. I can’t even tell you why but I just did.
Unless they can bring Matthew back…
I hope the movie opens with a Mary and Carson double funeral.
I so didn’t like Roses character when she was introduced to the show, but in the end she had better storylines and I really missed her when she left. She brought a bit of the energy and sparkle back that may fav character Sybil had. So I am sad that she won’t be part of the film. Due to the fact, that I didn’t like the ending (some of the storylines were so annoying) I am hesitant regards the film.
I did like the Jewish family story line, and how that hinted at WWII. That was the only interesting part of Rose’s existence
I was neutral on Rose for a long time but then the storyline where she passed for a maid and then her marrying into a Jewish family both really won me over. By the time she left, I really loved her as a character. But Lily James is a busy actress these days and I won’t miss Rose in the film as long as I get enough Lady Mary and Tom Branson.
My husband (then just boyfriend) and I watched this show together while we were long distance and would synchronize our recordings so it holds a special place for me, even though it was ridiculous at times. Every episode it would start with me saying, “WHY CAN’T I LIVE IN A CASTLE?” to the point we have looked at a variety of “castles” for sale. One day.
I loved looking at Lady Rose (LJ is so pretty!) but yeah her character was pointless in general. And that’s coming from someone who also watched every week no matter how dumb things got or how many times they did the “Mr. Bates is in jail and is MAD and Anna is SAD!!!!’ scene, over and over and over LMAO. I’ll probably give the movie a chance for old times sake.
The gimmick of the show was stealing plots from well-loved nineteenth century novels and putting them in the early twentieth century. The initial premise was Pride & Prejudice + Titanic and that worked well so the writer just kept stealing old plots. The gimmick stopped working after the First World War because the old plots felt more and more out of touch in a modern setting. I hope the film gives Maggie a nice send off though and that Matthew Goode dumps Lady Mary.
For anyone who misses the show, try Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope. I think they contributed the most to the storylines.
I didn’t catch the DA fever until afterwards when I saw clips on YouTube. Then I got all the dvds from the library and binge watched two summers ago. Yeah some of the stories were boring but if done right it could be a good movie. Since this is a movie, will Dan Stevens deign to be in it?