Downton Abbey Producer Says Script for the Second Movie Will Be Finished This Year

These days, amidst quarantine living during the coronavirus pandemic, we're even more grateful for the wonderful world of entertainment. On that note, between rewatching the Downton Abbey series for we've-lost-track-how-many times and streaming Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes' and executive producer Garthe Neame's new series Belgravia—a delicious drama and as ephemeral as cotton candy replete with social climbing, romance, war, ornate scenery and costumes accompanied by trenchant dialogue—for the first time, we have some news: The movie script for the Downtown Abbey sequel is scheduled to be completed this year.

Earlier this month, Downton Abbey producer Gareth Neame spoke with Entertainment Tonight regarding some exciting updates about the hotly anticipated sequel. "We are totally committed to making a sequel if we can bring all the elements back,” he told the entertainment news outlet. “During the course of this year, we will have a script and we will try to assemble all the actors again, you know, as soon as we can," he added.

Of course, the current coronavirus crisis will delay the production schedule for the release further and currently there is no official release date for the film. For now "near future,” is the best Neame could reveal for when fans can expect the sequel, with ET noting the film certainly won't be released this year.

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For now, we'll just have to whet our appetite by watching Belgravia and experiencing the wonder of watching a Fellowes' series with fresh eyes once again. Sit back, relax, and as we see the new tradition of afternoon tea unfold on screen, can somebody please pass us the demitasse with a few spoonfuls of sugar and scandal?