Downton Abbey 3 film confirmed to include "meaningful" tribute to late Dame Maggie Smith

Executive Producer Gareth Neame has now promised that the next instalment will include a tribute to both the actress and the character.

“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway,” Neame told TVLine.

“The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”

He added that the cast and crew's "huge respect” will “come across in the next movie" adding: “We will never see the like of Dame Maggie Smith ever again."

Hugh Bonneville, who played Smith's on-screen son, Robert Crawley, previously opened up about how the third instalment will be a "lasting tribute" to the actress.

Speaking on Virgin Radio in November, Bonneville said: "We finished a third – and I think probably final – Downton Abbey film this summer, which will come out next September. That is a wonderful sort of closing off of all the stories, so it’s a proper film for the fans."

He went on: "It’s very much set in the house and saying goodbye to all these characters and we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life. She’ll be sorely missed. But the final film will obviously be a great lasting tribute to her."

The third Downton Abbey film was officially confirmed earlier this year following months of rumours.

The new film will once again be written by Julian Fellowes and helmed by A New Era director Simon Curtis, with many of the main characters returning.

This includes Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton and Dominic West.Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera, and Douglas Reith are all also confirmed to be back, while it has been teased that "many other fan favourites" will appear.

Meanwhile, those joining the franchise for the new film include Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan, while Paul Giamatti will be reprising his role as Cora Grantham’s brother Harold Levinson, who he played in a previous Christmas special.The new film is set for release in September 2025.

All seasons of Downton Abbey are available to stream on ITVX.

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