Will Downton Abbey: A New Era be the last Downton movie?

Downton Abbey was and still is a massively popular television series, and its movies have received the same attention. The historical drama ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015. It was then followed up by the 2019 film of the same name. Most recently, Downton Abbey: A New Era hit theaters in May of this year. Could this production be the last?

Downton Abbey: A New Era follows the Crawley family as they welcome a film crew to their home, much to the chagrin of the head of the family, Robert Crawley. Ultimately he agrees to it as Downton needs repairs, and their cost will be covered by the money made from the production. Lady Mary is left at home and works with producer Jack Barber. The rest of the family makes their way to the south of France to uncover a mystery about the Dowager Countess’ newly inherited villa.

Actors new to the franchise this time around are Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, and Dominic West. The original principal Downton cast reprised their roles for the project, including the actor portraying the Crawley patriarch, Hugh Bonneville.

In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, he had some thoughts to share about the franchise’s future.

Will Downton Abbey: A New Era be the last Downton movie?

Right now, there’s been no official word on whether there will be another Downton movie or if A New Era is meant to be the final production. But Bonneville did share that he believes the latest film is a good conclusion to the franchise.

Here’s what he said to the news outlet:

"I suspect, on a practical level, it’s run its course now. I think that was a good time to quit. I don’t know. I’m never gonna second guess the future, but did think for a while, actually, yeah, why not, let’s keep going. But I do think it could get a bit thin. I think the second film was such a joyous one and such a good note on which to end the story. And it does feel like it can end. There’s still open doors in it, but I think it might be the right time to stop."

The Hollywood Reporter also said there’s a possibility the film’s production company, Carnival, and NBCUniversal are in talks about bringing the television series back. The actor thinks if it were to happen, it would probably be a reboot of some sort. But if he was asked to be a part of it, he’d “never say never.”

Bonneville has played Robert Crawley in all six seasons of Downton Abbey, as well as in both of its feature films. It sounds like the star isn’t closing the door on the character completely, but he also seems ready to move on. Whether another movie or television show will make a comeback, we’ll have to wait and see!

Downton Abbey: A New Era is now playing in theaters. You can also stream the movie on Peacock.