Maggie Smith back to the Abbey

Maggie Smith will appear in the forthcoming Downton Abbey movie sequel. Smith stars as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the franchise but her involvement in the project was uncertain following a scene in the last film where she told her granddaughter that she was sick and “may not have long to live.” Sources previously told Mailonline that producers were worried about Smith, who turns 86 in December, returning amid the pandemic. The film will shoot from March until May next year.