‘Downton Abbey’ prequel: Yep, it’s happening
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (R), accompanied by Julian Fellowes (L) and an academy director, watches a performance as she visits the Royal Academy of Arts in central London, on May 23, 2012.
"Downton Abbey" fans, rejoice: a prequel to the hit television show, which chronicles the lives of the owners and servants at a fictional Yorkshire country estate, is being written as we speak.
The show's Oscar-winning writer-creator Julian Fellowes said he is hoping to explore the Earl and Countess of Grantham's early romance.
"I do actually have an idea of doing a prequel of the courtship of Robert and Cora, when all those American heiresses were arriving in London," Fellowes said at the BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture series. "They had a slightly troubled courtship, because she was in love with him before they married, as we know, and he married her entirely for her money," BBC News reported.
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Vanity Fair speculates that the prequel could begin in the 1880s during the Second Boer War, which main character Robert Crawley served in.
"Excitingly, it could [also] examine Cora’s dating past (did she also entertain a Turkish diplomat during her unmarried days?), the juicy early stages of Violet’s feud with Martha Levinson (now being depicted by Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLaine), and Edith’s even more awkward formative years," Vanity Fair's Julie Miller wrote.
Their guesses are as good as ours, but Fellowes quelled pre-emptive excitement, saying that any spin-off would only air after "Downton Abbey" was finished.
"I don't think you can continue a narrative in more than one area at once," said the writer, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Really? We do.
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