“Downton Abbey” is going out with a bang—and a scandal.
The beloved British period franchise returns for its third and final cinematic chapter with “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”, arriving in theaters on September 12. The just-released official trailer offers fans a sweeping first look at the end of an era, as the Crawley family and their staff step into the tumultuous 1930s. But with change comes chaos—especially for Lady Mary.
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” Premise
Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary Talbot finds herself in the eye of a social storm as her divorce from Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode) becomes public knowledge, triggering whispers and judgment across the aristocratic circles. The fallout is swift: she’s dismissed from high society functions, and even her role as Downton’s future steward is called into question. “Am I no longer fit to run this house?” she asks, as the estate’s future hangs in the balance.
But family drama isn’t the only thing brewing at Downton.
Financial woes put the entire Crawley household under pressure. The once-indomitable estate faces the looming threat of modernity, irrelevance, and possibly collapse. “The Crawleys must embrace change,” the official synopsis warns, “as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.”
In the midst of all this upheaval comes the return of a familiar and long-absent face: Paul Giamatti reprises his Emmy-nominated role as Harold Levinson, Cora Crawley’s (Elizabeth McGovern) sharp-tongued American brother. In the trailer, he emerges from a car to hug Cora, who senses something is amiss. “The news is bad, isn’t it?” she asks. “How could you tell?” Harold replies with dry wit.
Giamatti, who recently reflected on the absence of the late Maggie Smith, said filming the finale without her was “not the same,” but still felt imbued with her spirit. “She certainly still feels present through the whole thing,” he told PEOPLE, calling his previous scenes with her “some of the best things ever.”
Directed by Simon Curtis and written by series creator and Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes, “The Grand Finale” promises to be both a love letter to longtime fans and a meaningful goodbye. The film is expected to include a tribute to Smith’s iconic Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess—a towering presence throughout the series and earlier films.
The all-star ensemble returns in full force, including Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Nicol, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, and Joely Richardson, among many others.
After more than a decade of aristocratic drama, class clashes, royal visits, and forbidden romances, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is shaping up to be an emotional farewell to one of television and film’s most enduring families.
The end begins September 12.
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