Downton Abbey fans have praised a touching tribute to Maggie Smith in the trailer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the last film in the period drama series.
Smith, who died in September, aged 89, played Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the ITV period drama, beginning from 2010. Her character died at the end of the last film in the series, 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.
The Grande Finale will follow the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s and must navigate how to lead Downton Abbey into the future.
The trailer reveals a glimpse into the movie’s tribute to Smith, as Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) looks up at a portrait of her grandmother (Smith’s character, Violet), which is displayed on a wall inside the stately Yorkshire home.
Elsewhere in the trailer, it is suggested that the family are selling and leaving the abbey for good, as Hugh Bonneville’s character, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, is seen kissing the wall of the building and walking away from it.
The messaging in the preview also hints at a departure from the family’s iconic home. Text can be seen flashing up on screen, which reads: “The place we’ll always remember, the family we’ll never forget. Everything has led to this. It’s almost time to bid farewell.”
Fans have been left moved by the trailer, especially by the inclusion of the portrait of Smith.
“Seeing Mary with her grandmother’s portrait made my heart break a little,” wrote one fan on Instagram, as another commented: “Granny’s painting hanging on the wall inside, Robert’s kiss to its stone wall outside… Uhhh! I’m not okay. And, I’m so ready to watch this.”
Someone else added: “Never has a trailer made me all teary before. And I realise with a sharp pang that I’ll miss the Dowager so terribly, which will only make me miss Maggie Smith, too.”
“The portrait of the Dowager Countess in the hallway and Robert saying goodbye to Downton is so saddening! God I know I will cry during this one, as I did with the last one,” remarked one fan, as another added: “OH THE TEARS AND THE CHILLS!!!!”
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Last year, Bonneville promised that the new movie would be a “great lasting tribute” to Smith following her death.
He said: “It’s very much set in the house and saying goodbye to all these characters and we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life. She’ll be sorely missed.”
Along with the trailer, Universal also released the first official plot synopsis for the forthcoming film, which reads: “As the beloved cast of characters navigates how to lead Downton Abbey into the future, they must embrace change and welcome a new chapter.”
Bonneville and Dockery will be joined by Kevin Doyle, Jim Carter, and Joanne Froggatt, as well as Paul Giamatti, who will be reprising his character Harold Levinson.
Downton Abbey ran for six seasons on ITV, airing from 2010 to 2015. The first spin-off film was released in 2019, followed by A New Era in 2022.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is released in cinemas on 12 September.
