After it was confirmed that the sixth season of ‘Downton Abbey’ will be its last one, series creator Julian Fellowes and executive producer Gareth Neame stirred up more speculations by stating that the characters in the drama period show may appear in a future film.
In an interview with Fellowes and Neame, several hints were dropped about a possible movie or series spinoff for ‘Downton Abbey.’ Neame, in particular, has been open to developing a big-screen version of the series.
“It would be a wonderful extension,” Neame said in an interview with Deadline this week. “Julian and I would be very interested if we could get our ducks in a row.”
Both of them stated that they have given a possible ‘Downton Abbey’ film some thought, although no specific details were revealed.
“We would be interested [in a movie],” Neame stated, sharing the same sentiments to the media in a press conference. “It’s something that Julian and I have been contemplating and would be a wonderful extension.”
However, with the last season of ‘Downton Abbey’ currently being filmed, the production team has not yet made any major moves for an onscreen adaptation of the series.
“We’re still hard at work on the upcoming season, but yes, [Fellowes] will graduate over to [his NBC series] Gilded Age and maybe we’ll explore further the idea of a movie,” Neame explained, further stating: We’re all thinking about what comes next. . .Six seasons and a movie, that’s not bad.”
If a ‘Downton Abbey’ film pushes through, its story may not take place following the events seen on the TV series, thereby possibly making it a stand-alone movie.
“I think a movie could be completely stand-alone,” Neame said in an interview with TV Insider. “It doesn't need to directly pick up from the TV show. It could come before it or midway through it. It's a very different story than the series.”
The producer also expressed his confidence in finding a suitable storyline that could be followed and explored in the movie.
Even PBS is looking forward to a ‘Downton Abbey’ spinoff, although there are no current plans for such onscreen adaptation. When asked about the possibilities, PBS executive producer said that there is a wide range of potential spinoffs and characters that can be included in the movie. However, no proposals have been made yet.
