Hugh Bonneville confirms 'Downton Abbey' movie sequel

Hugh Bonneville revealed on Wednesday that there is already a script and that cameras are ready to start rolling for the "Downtown Abbey" movie once it is safe.

Bonneville, who plays series regular Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, revealed that the writers have already settled on a story. He shared that the cast and crew were ready to start with production but COVID-19 got in the way.

"There is a script, it has been written and seen, but a little thing called coronavirus got in the way of us filming it," he told Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas during an interview on "The One Show" as he shared his hopes of starting filming the sequel "later this year."

The 57-year-old "Paddington" actor has been on a roll teasing his character's return in a "Downtown Abbey" movie sequel. He previously said there is an intent to film it and even suggested that production should start once those involved have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Here's the deal, if everybody who is offered a vaccine takes a vaccine, we can make a movie, we will make a movie. It's the usual thing. The planets are circling. They are beginning to get into alignment," Bonneville explained during an interview on BBC Radio 2's "The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show" last week.

"There is a thing called coronavirus knocking around and until that is under control in a sensible way, we are not going to be able to get all those ducks in a row. Mixing my metaphors here. But there is certainly the intention to do it," he added.

Bonneville shared that the cast "would love to do it" and that they are "desperate to do it." He believes the movie would provide fans with a bit of joy amid the gloom brought by the pandemic. He thinks "it's the sort of pleasurable release of a movie like the first one was, that audiences would enjoy after all of this mess we have been through."

"Downtown Abbey" ran for six seasons between 2010 and 2015 before the first film came out in September 2019. Aside from Bonneville, the movie also saw Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith reprise their respective characters Lady Mary Talbot and Violet Crawley.