'Downton Abbey 2' Filming Underway In The U.K.

Downton Abbey secured itself a sequel berth when the box office returns rocked industry watchers with record proceeds. The only obstacle — much like the first film — was the ensemble element. With a core cast of a dozen and a half actors, lining up schedules was always going to be a challenge. But oddly, the coronavirus pandemic turned out to be just the thing necessary to clear everyone's calendars, and series creator Julian Fellowes and company seized the opportunity. The production rounded up everyone at the top of the year, speeding through an official announcement Downton Abbey 2 was getting underway in April and now hitting filming all of two months later.

It's understandable Carnival Films and Focus Features did not want any unnecessary delays. Boris Johnson has yet to ease lockdown restrictions. A possible "summer wave" of cases is also currently being threatened, upending hopes of those who thought the crisis might finally be in the rearview mirror. But filming for the new movie has managed to get underway, and hopefully, with all precautions in place and a bit of luck, the film won't run into snags in the process of getting it to theaters by the end of the year.

Focus Features celebrated the beginning of filming by releasing a brand new photo from on set on Twitter. Check out the first official photo from Downton Abbey 2: