Get Tickets DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA now playing
Arriving only a little over two years after its predecessor wowed theatrical audiences, DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA is finally set to continue Julian Fellowes’ legacy of societal drama at an AMC Theatre near you. While you’ll be able to run into old friends and take in the familiar sights of the Downton estate, there are also a lot of new and exciting twists to this next chapter. Let’s take a look at what’s new in this long awaited sequel!
New Characters
Kicking off the fresh adventures at the heart of DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA are two new plots, and the characters that complicate them. After discovering that Violet Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith), the Dowager Countess, has inherited a villa in France, a handful of family members are invited to travel to that very location.
That invitation is the first sign of drama, as it has been extended by the Marquis de Montmirail (Jonathan Zaccaï) and his mother (Nathalie Baye). As you may presume, there’s a little more going on than meets the eye in DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA, as the Montmirail family has some questions as to why Violet would come into possession of this property in the first place.
Meanwhile, back at home, Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) must contend with a threat of a different kind: show-business. As the Downton estate is now hosting the likes of film director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy), as well as actors like Guy Baxter (Dominic West) and Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock), chaos reigns with a silent film making the family home a splashy spectacle.
A New Setting
The south of France is a major new setting in DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA. As the delegation of the Grantham family makes their way to investigate this surprising locale, a lot of boating is about to make its way into this new adventure. Leading to lush shots of speed boats and ocean liners making their way across the distances, creator Julian Fellowes’ drama series is about to open up like never before.
Cutting between the theatrics at home and this new French location, DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA further pushes the popular saga into greater cinematic form. The Montmirail villa is a perfect example of a sequel going bigger, and justifying it with every frame of beauty that’s shown off. Even if there’s some drama in the works that could threaten to derail everything at a moment’s notice.
New Drama
Making a movie isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world, especially when it comes to silent era pictures. This is the lighter end of the DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA drama, as the clashing of household staff and glamorous actors leads to some interesting antics. While it’s not as pressured as the previous film’s royal visit, there are still a lot of priceless antiques that could be broken, or shots to be ruined, as everyone tries to get out in one piece.
It’s not all fun and games in the south of France either, as DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA forces the Grantham family to ask some hard questions about the future. The inheritance of the villa only opens the door to other concerns and problems from home to make their way to what looks like paradise.
A New Era
As time marches on in the DOWNTON ABBEY universe, A NEW ERA continues to make itself known. Children we saw born during the series are even older and wiser, while the characters we know and love are facing their own mortality in various ways. Set against the backdrop of an ever changing society, it’s the perfect return to this wildly popular franchise.
Don’t let all of the new stuff fool you, DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA is still very much the drama you know and love. The film opens on May 20th, so be sure to get tickets for a showing at an AMC Theatre near you. You’re not going to want to miss out on what happens next, and you may want to bring some tissues along; because it wouldn’t be a trip to Downton without some tears being shed.
Get Tickets DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA now playing
