Downton Abbey star Imelda Staunton confirms third and final movie

Staunton then responded: "There will be the final film – there you go."

"I hope we haven’t got you in trouble," Ball joked, to which the actress simply remarked, "I don’t care."

So, there we have it – after months of speculation about the future of the period drama, there will be a new movie on the horizon.

As for what it will be about, who will star and when we can expect it to be released, we'll just have to be a little more patient with those details – or hope that a cast member reveals some more juicy snippets sometime soon.

Staunton has, of course, starred in the previous two Downton films as Maud Bagshaw, the queen's lady-in-waiting and the estranged cousin of Lord Grantham.

She is otherwise known for her starring role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, and more recently featured in the Christmas episode of Sky's Brassic.

The confirmed news of Downton Abbey's third film comes after reports by The Sun that claimed that the much talked-about movie was being made, and is apparently scheduled to start filming over summer 2024.

According to the report, it is expected to pick up where the sequel left off in the late 1920s. At the time of the report being released, RadioTimes.com approached representatives for comment.

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There's recently been more talk about the possibility of a seventh season of the hit drama also, but despite the rumours, RadioTimes.com understands that there are no immediate plans for new episodes of Downton Abbey.

However, series creator Julian Fellowes did reveal on TalkRadio, as reported by The Sun: "I have said goodbye to Downton so many times, and I have written the last scene about six or seven times.

"Now I’ve got out of the habit of making permanent statements [about] whether it's gone. It just gives me a lot of pleasure that so many people enjoyed it, so to feel that you created a show that cheers people up and they had a good time with it, I love that."

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.

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