Downton Abbey 3 Release Date and Everything to Know About the Grand Finale

Downton Abbey is suiting up for one last bow. The third film, very bluntly titled The Grand Finale, is being sold as the end of the line for the Crawleys and everyone downstairs. It lands in cinemas on Friday 12 September 2025. Early reactions have been mostly positive so far — think comfort viewing with a capital C — but there is real story meat in here too.

Where we are and how we got here

After six seasons on ITV from 2010 to 2015 and two hit movies, the franchise is closing the curtain with a third and final film. Focus Features announced the project in May 2024, cameras rolled shortly after, and now we are at the finish line.

The film is set in the early 1930s (specifically the summer of 1930) as the world shifts under Downton’s very polished floors. It is directed by Simon Curtis (who also helmed A New Era), with series creator Julian Fellowes once again writing, so the voice and vibe are exactly what you expect.

Who is back — and who is not

Most of the usual suspects return. Some notable absences and additions, though, and a bit of inside baseball:

• Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Talbot
• Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
• Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
• Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Pelham
• Jim Carter as Mr Charles Carson
• Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates
• Penelope Wilton as Isobel Merton
• Brendan Coyle as John Bates
• Phyllis Logan as Mrs Elsie Hughes Carson
• Dominic West as Guy Dexter
• Allen Leech as Tom Branson
• Sophie McShera as Daisy Parker
• Lesley Nicol as Mrs Beryl Patmore
• Kevin Doyle as Joseph Molesley
• Raquel Cassidy as Phyllis Baxter
• Paul Giamatti as Harold Levinson (his first Downton appearance since the 2013 Christmas special; yes, the Oscar nominee is back)
• Joely Richardson as Lady Petersfield
• Alessandro Nivola as Gus Sambrook
• Simon Russell Beale as Sir Hector Moreland
• Arty Froushan as Noel Coward

Matthew Goode is not returning as Henry Talbot. On screen, Henry and Mary are in the middle of a divorce, which of course explodes into a social scandal in their world. The production insists that arc was not rewritten because Goode could not film — it was the plan. Inside baseball note: that is the kind of thing people always wonder about when an actor is unavailable; here, they are saying it is not a patch job. Make of that what you will.

Also deeply felt this time: the absence of Maggie Smith. Violet Crawley died in the previous film, and Smith herself passed away two years later. Expect the film — and its marketing — to honor her impact.

'I soaked up every moment working with her. It is like playing championship tennis — you raise your game.'

— Michelle Dockery, reflecting on Maggie Smith

What the story is actually about

The Grand Finale picks up in summer 1930, with the Crawleys staring down two big problems at once: Mary is dragged into a very public scandal, and the estate is wobbling financially. Around that, the staff and family try to steady the ship in a world that is sprinting toward a new era. It is an emotional send-off by design — big feelings, hard choices, and a house that has seen it all.

Trailer check

A teaser is out, and it is aiming directly at your nostalgia receptors: familiar faces returning up the drive, Mary looking back on what Downton has meant, and a graceful nod to the late Dowager Countess.

One last treat after the last treat

Even after the film, there is one more goodbye on the way: a newly announced one-off TV special where the cast and crew share previously untold behind-the-scenes stories from across the series and films. Basically, a farewell tour for the people who built the thing.

The early buzz

Reviews so far lean positive. One outlet pegged it at three stars and framed it as a gentle reunion with characters people already adore — which sounds exactly like the point of a final Downton movie.

Release date

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale opens in cinemas on Friday 12 September 2025.