Downton Abbey cast wants movie sequel

Allen Leech reprises his role as Thomas Branson in the movie adaptation of the drama series, which has been written and co-produced by Julian Fellowes, and he revealed his hopes that the cast will reunite for a second film.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "What I love about what Julian always does is when it looks like he's finishing a storyline, he's actually starting one. It would be very interesting to see what would happen. I think we would all be up for it. It all comes down to how this one does. If people really love it and there really is an appetite, then why wouldn't we do it?"

Laura Carmichael, who plays Lady Edith Crawley, is also enthusiastic about a sequel.

She said: "We love making the show so I hope people enjoy it. It would be really cool to make another."

Sophie McShera, who plays assistant cook Daisy, added: "We want to see if everyone likes this one - but everyone is asking about the sequel! We love working together and we would always want to work together if there is an appetite for it."

While Fellowes is open to it, he wants to wait to see what the reaction to the first movie is before deciding on a sequel.

He said: "I just feel I have to wait for the public's response to the movie and see, did they really like it? Has it gone well? It's a combination of the [box office, audience buzz] all of it, to be honest, and then you get a picture of whether this movie landed. I think you can get a sense of whether it worked or not. And if we do get that sense, then we will have that conversation."

But producer Gareth Neame admitted they have already been thinking about a storyline for a follow-up movie, explaining: "We've got the beginnings of ideas of what we might do next -- if that would happen."