“Hollywood is the ultimate dream factory … and I need dreams as much as the next man,” says Mr Molesley (Kevin Doyle) in Downton Abbey: A New Era.
It’s a line that sums up the mission of the TV series’ second cinematic outing: to continue the “dream factory” tradition. And so the wishes of many a familiar character are granted over the course of two hours — along with plenty of drama.Written and co-produced by creator Julian Fellowes and directed by Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn), the sequel opens in 1928, with the wedding of Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton).
It’s a chance to reunite major characters in their finery, further blurring the boundaries between the “upstairs” and “downstairs.”The good news keeps coming: Not only has Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) inherited a villa in the South of France, but a film crew is coming to make a movie at Downton Abbey — hence Mr Molesley’s excitement.
He’s not the only one. Daisy (Sophie McShera) is beside herself at the thought of meeting real-life film stars, though when the glamorous Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock) sashays into the Abbey, she’s in for a disappointment.
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