Downton Abbey will get a special send off in movie theaters sooner rather than later! The long-rumored movie has been greenlit and is heading into production.

Update (September 19, 2018): Heat up the tea and break out the biscuits! The Downton Abbey movie will be released on September 20, 2019, Focus Features announced today.

“Since the series ended, fans of ‘Downton’ have long been waiting for the Crawley family’s next chapter,” said Focus’s Peter Kujawski. “We’re thrilled to join this incredible group of filmmakers, actors and craftspeople, led by Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame, in bringing back the world of ‘Downton’ to the big screen next September.”

Original story (July 13, 2018): The Downton Abbey movie will begin filming this summer and the entire cast is set to return. And the returns will extend behind the scenes: Series creator Julian Fellowes wrote the movie and is bringing back Downton Abbey series pilot director Brian Percival to helm the film.

“When the television series drew to a close it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans a movie and now, after getting many stars aligned, we are shortly to go into production,” said executive producer Gareth Neame. “Julian’s script charms, thrills and entertains and in Brian Percival’s hands we aim to deliver everything that one would hope for as Downton comes to the big screen.”

Added Focus Features, “Since the series ended, fans of Downton have long been waiting for the Crawley family’s next chapter. We’re thrilled to join this incredible group of filmmakers, actors and craftspeople, led by Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame, in bringing back the world of Downton to the big screen.”