Showbiz I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice . 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). 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 .
