Overview

• Simon Curtis tells Entertainment Weekly he set out to deliver “the moving farewell” fans deserve, opening the film with a London-set first act and staging a large Royal Ascot sequence with hundreds of extras.
• Promotion and trailers position Lady Mary’s divorce as the central source of scandal, reflecting the story’s early‑1930s social stakes.
• Variety’s early review calls the film a nostalgic and emotionally resonant sendoff and notes a final dedication to the late Dame Maggie Smith.
• Michelle Dockery tells People the ensemble remains close off‑screen, keeping “a few” active group text chains, with Hugh Bonneville often organizing get‑togethers.
• Returning and new faces include Paul Giamatti, Alessandro Nivola, Joely Richardson and Simon Russell Beale, alongside the core cast led by Michelle Dockery and Hugh Bonneville.