Downton Abbey 3 gets official release date but Hugh Bonneville says fans 'will miss' beloved co-star
The much-anticipated Downton Abbey 3 has finally received an official release date.
Universal Pictures UK announced on Instagram on Wednesday that the third instalment of the film series will hit cinemas on September 12, 2025, coinciding with its release in the US.
This new chapter of the hit TV series spinoff, written by series creator Julian Fellowes, will be directed by Simon Curtis, who previously directed Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Although plot details remain under wraps, fans can look forward to the return of Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as Robert and Cora Crawley.
Other returning cast members include Joanne Froggatt, 43, who recently announced her surprise pregnancy, (Anna Bates), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Talbot), Jim Carter (Mr. Carson), Phyllis Logan (Elsie Carson), and Dame Penelope Wilton (Lady Merton).
Hugh Bonneville (R) says fans will miss co-star Maggie Smith (centre) who won’t appear in Downton 3 (Focus Features/Kobal/Shutterstock)
Additionally, two-time Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti will reprise his role as Cora's brother, Harold Levinson, joined by franchise newcomers Joely Richardson and Alessandro Nivola.
However Bonneville said that fans "will miss" much-loved cast member Maggie Smith, who will not appear in the upcoming third film. Smith played Crawley matriarch, Lady Violet, who died at the end of the sequel film.
"People who've watched the show over the years and have loved it will miss Maggie Smith's presence," said Bonneville, 60. "She doesn't step out of the shower and it's all been a dream - she is gone.
"But, I think there's so much warmth and fun to enjoy, and new elements as well — which I won't spoil — that I think it'll certainly be the best iteration of the film versions yet," he told Yahoo UK.
Downton Abbey 3, will be the ‘best iteration of the film versions yet’ (2021 Focus Features, LLC)
He added to Yahoo!, “For my character, I think the usual (can be expected), which is that he's a sort of dinosaur trying to be led into the future reluctantly, and then eventually he stumbles forward a bit. So as always, there's that rhythm of things changing with glacial slowness."
“Robert (is) finally accepting that things (are changing) — it's time to move the story on, so to speak," he continued.
"It's got the usual tropes, if you like, of thrills and spills in a very Downton way, which means spilling a teacup pretty much."
Fans of the series can also catch up on the previous episodes on ITVX.
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