Allen Leech, who plays widower Tom Branson on the British period drama, stops by 'Today' to debut the full-length promo and promises that the story is bigger, bolder and more theatrical.
- May 22, 2019
AceShowbiz - The first full-length trailer for the "Downton Abbey" movie has revealed the Crawley family will be visited by royalty.
The hotly anticipated big screen adaptation of the British period drama hits cinemas this autumn, and details of the plot were unveiled as the trailer debuted on Tuesday, May 21.
The biggest news is that Downton Abbey's aristocratic Crawley family, led by Hugh Bonneville's Earl of Grantham, will be visited by King George V and his wife Queen Mary.
Teasing details on U.S. news show "Today" Allen Leech, who plays widower Tom Branson in the show, said: "I think it's been announced they get a big event. They get a letter saying that the royal family are going to visit. That obviously is going to bring its own drama."
The trailer revealed that the royal visit creates tensions between the King and Queen's staff and Downton's, resulting in the local servants fighting back against their royal superiors. It will pick the story up shortly after the series finale, which was set in late 1925.
Fans have had to wait nearly four years for the movie, but Allen says it will be worth the wait as its creator Julian Fellowes took his time to get it right.
"Everyone was up for it, it just took a while to get the right script, because taking something from TV to go to film, you want to make sure that the story is bigger and bolder and more theatrical," he explained. "So we locked Julian Fellowes in a room for three years and made him come up with the script that we have today."
"Downton Abbey", which will also star series regulars Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode, and Elizabeth McGovern, will arrive in cinemas on 13 September.
