Overview

• Lady Mary’s divorce from Henry Talbot becomes a public scandal that complicates her standing at Downton.
• Curtis situates the story seven months after A New Era in the early 1930s, stressing how socially consequential divorce was for an aristocratic woman.
• The film opens in London before staging a large Royal Ascot sequence, with extensive period costuming and crowds.
• The core ensemble returns alongside Paul Giamatti as Harold and new faces including Alessandro Nivola, Joely Richardson, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan.
• Producers say the film includes an on-screen tribute to Maggie Smith, and a Leicester Square premiere earlier this week signaled the final promotional push before release.