Overview

• Michelle Dockery led the New York premiere red carpet, with Hugh Bonneville telling People she shared her pregnancy news with him privately weeks before the public reveal.
• Early critical notices are positive, with a reported 92% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score from an initial sample and a Radio Times review noting a warm farewell and on-screen dedication to Dame Maggie Smith.
• The film is set in the early 1930s and centers on Lady Mary facing a public scandal as the Crawleys confront financial jeopardy that threatens the estate’s future.
• Matthew Goode does not appear due to scheduling and medical issues, and Michelle Dockery said the divorce storyline had been planned regardless of his availability.
• The cast reunites for the final chapter under director Simon Curtis and writer Julian Fellowes, with returning and new faces including Paul Giamatti, Alessandro Nivola, Joely Richardson and Simon Russell Beale, plus NBC and ITV specials marking the farewell.