Downton Abbey film: What we know so far

News of the wildly popular British series spawning a movie has delighted fans.

Production on a Downton Abbey film will begin this northern summer, the official Twitter account for the series announced at the weekend, sending fans of the period drama into a frenzy.

The Twitter announcement included a photo for an invitation that reads: "We cordially invite you to return to Downton Abbey. Only in Cinemas."

It will feature all the big names as Focus Features announced the original principal cast would make the film.

Welcome back to Downton! We’re thrilled to announce that #DowntonAbbey is coming to the big screen. Film production begins this summer. pic.twitter.com/3scMUmosic

— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) July 13, 2018

Few details have come out about the plot, but the Guardian reported the story was "expected" to pick up in 1926, where the series finale ended things, which could mean the stars from earlier seasons who were killed off won't return.

Several stars of the series have publicly spoken about their eagerness for a movie, and posted their excitement online.

Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley) tweeted "2019", probably referring to when the movie would be released. "The secret's out," Michelle Dockery (who played Lady Mary) wrote on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

The secret’s out... Thrilled to announce that #DowntonAbbey is coming to the big screen. Filming to commence this summer @downtonabbey_official

A post shared by Michelle Dockery (@michelledockery) on Jul 13, 2018 at 6:09am PDT

"Delighted to announce we're getting the band back together," tweeted Joanne Froggatt (who played Anna Bates).

Chatter about a possible movie persisted for years. But one star who's been less than thrilled with the prospect of a feature-length film? Maggie Smith, who won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the Dowager Countess of Grantham. She's long dismissed the idea of a movie after six seasons.

"I can't - what age would she be?" she told Graham Norton in 2015.

"I'm glad it's over, I really am," she told him about the series ending. "By the time we finished, she must have been about 110. It couldn't go on and on, it just didn't make sense."

Series creator Julian Fellowes is penning the screenplay, with series pilot director Brian Percival returning to direct the film. The movie will be produced by Carnival films and distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International.

"When the television series drew to a close it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans a movie, and now, after getting many stars aligned, we are shortly to go into production," said Carnival executive chairman and the film's producer, Gareth Neame.

The period drama chronicles the lives of the aristocratic Crawleys (the upstairs) and their servants (the downstairs).