The movie adaptation of Downton Abbey has finally be given the green light after months of speculation.
Joanne Froggatt, 36, who plays maid Anna Bates in the ITV drama, took to Twitter to confirm the news on Friday afternoon, posting a picture of herself with Michelle Dockery, 36, (Lady Mary Crawley) and Dame Maggie Smith, 83, (Violet Crawley).
She wrote: ‘Delighted to announce we’re getting the band back together! #DowntonMovie #DowntonAbbey.’
The Downton Abbey movie IS happening: Joanne Froggatt has confirmed the original cast are reuniting for hotly anticipated film following months of speculation
The trio, along with Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, have all signed up and shooting will begin this summer following the success of the show’s previous six seasons.
Downton Abbey’s Twitter also wrote: ‘Welcome back to Downton! We’re thrilled to announce that #DowntonAbbey is coming to the big screen. Film production begins this summer.’
Michelle also wrote on Instagram: ‘The secret’s out… Thrilled to announce that Downton Abbey is coming to the big screen.’
They’re back! (L-R) Joanne confirmed the news with this sweet Twitter post on Friday as she posed with Michelle Dockery and Dame Maggie Smith
Hit TV series Downton Abbey followed the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them at the turn of the 20th Century in an Edwardian English country home.
According to Vanity Fair, the movie script has been written by show creator Julian Fellowes Focus and Universal Pictures International are distributing.
Brian Percival, who has directed several episodes of Downton, including the pilot, will helm the film, but there are no plot details known as of yet.
Announcement: Downton followed the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them at the turn of the 20th Century in an Edwardian English country home
The film’s producer Gareth Neame said in a statement: ‘When the television series drew to a close it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans a movie and now, after getting many stars aligned, we are shortly to go into production.
‘Julian’s script charms, thrills and entertains and in Brian Percival’s hands we aim to deliver everything that one would hope for as Downton comes to the big screen’.
The final episode of Downton aired on December 25, 2015 on ITV.
The show is the most nominated non-U.S. television show in the history of the Emmys, with 15 under their belt.
They earned a trio of Golden Globe Awards and a Special BAFTA award.
Worlds apart: Joanne famously plays embattled maid Anna Bates in the iconic television series
Back in July, Joanne Froggatt had said ‘nothing has happened’ as of late in bringing a Downton Abbey film to life.
The star appeared at the Television Critics Association summer tour in Beverly Hills, California in July to promote her new Sundance miniseries Liar, but she had no news about any such film at this point.
‘I absolutely have no idea,’ the Golden Globe-winning actress told the publication. ‘There’s been talk, there’s been conversations, but nothing has happened. We’re all sort of leaving it up to the gods. We have no information.’
In January, Phyllis Logan, who plays Mrs Hughes in the beloved show, cheekily hinted at the film after revealing the cast had been asked to clear their diaries.
She told The Mail On Sunday: ‘Everyone’s been asked what’s going on between this date and that date.
Long process: Back in July, Joanne Froggatt had said ‘nothing has happened’ in bringing a Downton Abbey film to life, but that has all changed
‘So we just hope that all the elements – because there are so many – come together.
‘To have a last hurrah with all the characters, going back to the castle and seeing all the old muckers will be fantastic. I’m certainly up for it. There’s a potential script coming our way, slightly rewritten’.
Buzz of a film grew last month when NBCUniversal International Studios president Michael Edelstein said that the wheels were in motion on scripting and casting dynamics for a film reviving the famed TV franchise, which ran from 2010-2015.
Plot details to come: Scriptwriter Julian Fellowes has penned the movie’s plot, although details are still unknown
Froggatt had previously said: ‘Selfishly, it would be great to get together for ten weeks and have a little reunion,’ Froggatt said. ‘I think we’d all like to do it.’
Froggatt made clear that if the project didn’t come to fruition, its legacy stands perfectly intact.
‘For me, the show finished in a great place and a great time. We finished on a high,’ Froggatt said. ‘Everything must come to an end, all good things must come to an end. I was very happy with where we left it.’
‘I guess I always want to do things that are different from the last things I’ve done,’ she said. ‘I loved playing Anna Bates. She was a great character to spend six years with.’
Back to the Abbey: Hugh Bonneville (second from left) will be reprising his role as Lord Grantham