Great news for Downton Abbey fans! It sounds like the hit period drama is being made into a movie. Jeremy Swift, who played butler Spratt on the show, confirmed that a film script has been written and sent out to cast members, but it has since mysteriously disappeared. During an appearance on Lorraine, the actor said: "There is a film script which we've all been sent but it disappeared in a Mission Impossible style from our emails. With a little puff."
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"It's supposed to be happening, filming, this year but it hasn't been locked down yet…" he added. "It's just getting everybody in that same space and time. I think there is a huge appetite for it." Downton Abbey ended at Christmas 2015 after six series and since then, there has been much speculation about whether a film is being made. Following on from the show's success, leading cast members have "flown off into the world" to work on different projects, said Jeremy, adding that "logistics" were the root of the problem.
© Photo: Rex"It's supposed to be happening, filming, this year," said Jeremy Swift
The update comes after Phyllis Logan, who played the strict-yet-loveable housekeeper Mrs Hughes, revealed that the "appetite" for a film adaptation was there. "The will is definitely there with everybody involved," she said on Good Morning Britain. "The will is definitely there. So, let's fingers crossed that we can make it all come about at some stage. And we'd love all to get back together again and have one last hurrah, we certainly would."
However, Phyllis admitted that it would be difficult to round up the large ensemble cast, explaining: "There's so many of us. There's so many of us. In normal film situations you might have a core cast of half a dozen or whatever. But this is a core cast of thousands it feels like at times. And so… herding cats?"
© Photo: BBCThe actor confirmed that cast members have been sent a script
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The show's creator Julian Fellowes has previously spoken about how much he would love to make a movie version of the show, telling Good Morning Britain: "I would love to make [a Downton film]. As far as I am concerned, I am completely up for it. Most of the cast are up for it." Downton's butler Jim Carter also hinted that a film could be in the works, telling Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard: "We've been asked to keep ourselves available for dates in the future. But nobody has seen a script."
