Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville teases "new elements" – and says 3rd movie is "best yet"
The actor said there is "so much warmth and fun to enjoy".
Ever since it was confirmed Downton Abbey would be returning for yet another film, fans of the period drama have been eager to know more details - and Hugh Bonneville has delivered!
Written and directed by Julian Fellowes and Simon Curtis respectively, the third movie will have an all-star cast, seeing the return of some very familiar faces.
This includes Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton and Dominic West.
In an interview with Yahoo UK, Bonneville noted that the new film feels like a "lovely coming together of people", teasing "thrills and spills" to come.
"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," he told the publication.
"So, as always, there's that rhythm of things changing with glacial slowness, and Robert finally accepting that things [are changing] -- it's time to move the story on, so to speak.
"It's got the usual tropes, if you like, of thrills and spills in a very Downtown way - which means spilling a tea cup, pretty much!"
The actor explained that there is "so much warmth and fun to enjoy", as well as "new elements" that'll interest fans.
"I think it'll certainly be the best iteration of the film versions yet," he said.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera and Douglas Reith are all also confirmed to return.
The announcement of the third film was made back in May, with a video of the cast reuniting at a read-through of the script.
In the video, Michelle Dockery said: "It feels amazing, a tad emotional. It's wonderful to all be back together again. We come back together and it's like no time has passed at all.
"We're so happy to announce that we're in production for the third Downton Abbey movie. We can't wait to see you."
All seasons of Downton Abbey are available to stream on ITVX.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.