Movies A Downton Abbey Cinematic Universe? Julian Fellowes says it's possible “We can go on with these people as long as the audience wants to go on seeing them." By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on May 18, 2022 03:24PM EDT What is a weekend... without more Downton Abbey? It's a question fans of the British series upstairs-downstairs drama may soon find themselves asking. Downton Abbey: A New Era, the second film in the saga following the Crawley family and their servants, hits theaters Friday, and the team behind it aren't ruling out the possibility of more projects to come. "We can go on with these people as long as the audience wants to go on seeing them and as long as they enjoy them," producer Gareth Neame said of the show's characters while appearing on a new episode of Variety's Strictly Business podcast. Neame, who first approached screenwriter Julian Fellowes about creating the series years ago, spoke to the possibility of a third film, another series, or perhaps an entire Downton Abbey Cinematic Universe. "And we can, you know, do that in all sorts of different ways," he said. "We've got to be wise to the future and think of those possibilities, and any number of things could happen in the future." For fans of the series, this news shouldn't be too surprising. The first 2019 film was a box-office hit that itself followed a decade of accolades and success for the original television series. Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery in 'Downton Abbey: A New Era'. Ben Blackall/Focus Features Focus Features, which has distributed both Downton Abbey films, did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment about future sequels. But Fellowes has been open about how he's happy to keep writing new stories for these characters as long as people are interested in seeing them. "You never know if more is going to be wanted," he told the British publication Radio Times in April. "After every series, after the first film, and now after the second, each time I have said a heart-wrenching goodbye to these people... and then here we are back again." "I invented them all, I'm their father, and I do feel a kind of obligation towards them, and I'm fond of them," he continued. "It sounds rather romantic to say that, but also you do want to give a really good evening to the people who've been faithful to us for so many years. People talk about stage plays and further movies, but I think it will be made clear to me if there's a strong demand, and if that's what people want, then I won't fight it." Fellowes has plenty to keep him busy in the meantime, with his new HBO property, The Gilded Age, beginning production on its second season. So maybe we'll see a member of the Crawley family turn up in New York sometime. For now, it sounds like nothing is off the tea table. Downton Abbey: A New Era opens in theaters May 20. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Carson gets help with his French in Downton Abbey: A New Era clip Downton Abbey: A New Era review: Everything old is comfortably New The Crawleys go Hollywood (and to France) in Downton Abbey: A New Era trailer