The late Dame Maggie Smith is to be “mourned” in the third. Downton Abbey.
The third film will serve as a poignant tribute to both the iconic Dowager Countess and beloved actress Maggie Smith.
Executive producer Gareth Neme said the upcoming Downton Abbey film will include a “meaningful” tribute after Smith died on September 27 at the age of 89. TV line In an interview published on Tuesday, December 24.
“We’ll never see the likes of Dame Maggie Smith again,” Neem said, calling the two-time Oscar winner’s defeat “the end of an era.”
Smith has played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, since the ITV and PBS drama debuted in 2010.
He continued the role in the 2019 film adaptation and its 2022 sequel, Downton Abbey: A New EraEven after the series ended in 2015.
In a new era, the Dowager Countess dies within the story.
Neem, 57, noted the story’s added significance in light of Smith’s real-life passing.
“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has since passed away has, I think, added a real edge to the story that we would have planned anyway,” he said of the third film, scheduled for September 12, 2025. I said. , theatrical release.
The “Day of the Jackal” producer added, “The loss of the Dowager feels more important now that you see actors playing family grieving roles.
But I also see actors mourning the show’s parents, and it feels more real and more meaningful.
Naeem promised “huge respect”. Downton Abbey The cast and crew have a “see you in the next movie” for Smith.
Downton Abbey Creator Julian Fellowes called working with Smith “the greatest honor of my career”. people“We were fortunate to be a part of the final act in his illustrious career.”
Smith, whose last screen credit was the 2023 film The Miracle Clubis survived by a son and five grandchildren.