Julian Fellowes reveals Downton Abbey sequel plan

'Downton Abbey' creator Julian Fellowes will begin work on a sequel after he finishes scripting his television series 'The Gilded Age'.

A sequel to the 'Downton Abbey' film is in the works after the success of the 2019 movie adaptation of the TV period drama, but Julian is committed to finishing the HBO series, set in 1880s New York City, before he turns his attention to the second film.

When asked if he was working on a sequel, Julian said: "Give us a break, gov. Not until I've finished the scripts for 'The Gilded Age'!"

The 70-year-old screenwriter - who was speaking at an event to promote ITV drama 'Belgravia' - opened up about the success of 'Downton Abbey' in America, admitting he feels privileged to have enjoyed success on both sides of the pond with one of his creations.

Julian said: "That was a lovely magic carpet because it's possible for people to go through a quite successful career in showbusiness and never have one of these phenomena. I felt we were all very lucky and very privileged."

Producer Gareth Neame previously suggested that the second film will go a lot "smoother" now 'Downton Abbey' has made a successful transition to the big screen.

He said: "It'll be smoother in one sense - that it's now hopefully a proven concept. It's not one of these shows that came from TV and then flopped in the cinema. So I think that will give everyone comfort that, yes, we know it works.

"But the challenge will be, is everyone available at the same time? Can we make deals with them? That will be the challenge."

Gareth also admitted they began thinking about a sequel after the positive reaction to the first film.

He explained: "We started vaguely thinking about it before the release of the movie. But we were kind of holding our breath. The reaction to the film, the press tour in the U.S. and the build-up to release were so strong that we'd been thinking about it. And then it was clear from the first weekend that this was worth taking seriously."