The next time you visit Downton Abbey, it won't be on your TV screen.
NBCUniversal International Studios has confirmed that a "Downton Abbey" movie is on the way. The studio is working on getting the script right, before reaching out to the cast.
"There's a movie in the works. It's been in the works for some time," Michael Edelstein, the president of NBCUniversal International Studios, told the Associated Press. "We are working on getting the script right and then we've got to figure out how to get the (cast) together. Because as you know, people go on and do other things. But we're hopeful to make a movie sometime next year."
Edelstein made the announcement at a "Downton Abbey" exhibition in Singapore last week, where rare footage and costumes from the show were on display.
The announcement was so new, even some of the stars of the TV show weren't aware of it, according to the Associated Press.
"Oh, well, you’ve got confirmation before us. We have no idea if that’s happening," Sophie McShera, assistant cook Daisy Mason on the show, told the AP. "But we would all love to be part of the film if it was to happen, for sure."
The Sun reported filming would likely begin in 2018, and "it’s unlikely the movie will arrive before 2019."
Although no details about the movie's plot have been released, The Sun speculated the movie may focus on World War II and the rise of Hitler, as well as the Great Depression.
Julian Fellowes, the creator of "Downton Abbey" and "The Gilded Age, Gosford Park," said he decided not to depict the 1930s and rise of Hitler in the show because it would be difficult to pull off in a way that was realistic.
"For me, in one way, I felt I'd already done that in Gosford. I did think it would be fun to do it in the 70s," Fellowes said, according to The Guardian. "In the whole series we went from 1912 to 1925 and you can believably keep the same actors in that range — maybe with a bit more grey at the temples. If there's a bigger jump in time, there's less believability in it."
The British drama series follows the story of three daughters who must find a way to make a living after their male family members die in 1912 after the Titanic sank.
Downton Abbey ran for six seasons on ITV. The final episode aired in December 2015.
Brittany Binowski is a senior web producer for Deseret National. You may contact her at bbinowski@deseretdigital.com or tweet her online @binowski.