Strange as it might seem, there are cinemagoers who don’t find a thrill in sexy and charismatic actors in capes and skin-tight body suits engaging in earth-shaking clashes. Nope, for them an uncomfortable dinner party and Imelda Staunton raising her eyebrow ever-so-slightly are exciting enough. That’s why this September’s Downton Abbey movie will probably do absolutely gangbusters at the box office.
Seriously though, the film is going to do some very big business. After all, the television show of the same name that ran from 2010-2015 was a gargantuan international smash. That wrapped up in 1925 with the central family of aristocrats struggling to preserve their estate, with the movie presumably showing us how they’ve gotten on in the Jazz Age.
Plot details remain pretty thin on the ground, though it’s been confirmed that Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael and Maggie Smith (among others) are returning. They’ll be joined by a stellar supporting cast that includes Imelda Staunton, Geraldine James, Tuppence Middleton, Simon Jones, David Haig, Kate Phillips and Stephen Campbell Moore.
And now, with its release quickly approaching, we’ve got some posters for the movie, and they practically drip Gatsby-esque opulence. See for yourself below:
Gilded luxury from a bygone decade seems to be very popular with audiences these days, with the most prominent other contender in the genre being Netflix’s excellent The Crown. But there’s something interesting and a little creepy in how these posters go out of their way to fetishize the outfits, jewelry and servants that will populate the movie. My hope is that we see the 1929 Wall Street crash strike the Abbey, hopefully leading to the family becoming destitute and at least one forlorn and newly broke aristo hurling himself out of a bedroom window to graphically splat onto a horse-drawn carriage below.
Whether that happens or not, Downton Abbey is scheduled for domestic release on September 20th, and as soon as more promotional material arises, we’ll be sure to let you know.