The Downton Abbey Movie Is Officially Happening, but Some Cast Members Weren't Informed

Fans of the Crawley family should listen closely, because a Downton Abbey movie is officially happening.

Michael Edelstein, president at NBCUniversal International Studios, confirmed that the movie is in the works, with production likely to start next year.

At a red carpet event for a Downton Abbey costume exhibition in Singapore, Edelstein broke the news, and said that they hope to sign on 20 original TV cast members for the film.

"There’s a movie in the works. It’s been in the works for some time,” he said. “We are working on getting the script right and then we’ve got to figure out how to get the (cast) together. Because as you know, people go on and do other things. But we’re hopeful to make a movie sometime next year."

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While that is very exciting to hear, he might want to give the actual cast members themselves a heads up.

Sophie McShera, who played cook Daisy Mason, and Laura Carmichael, who played Lady Edith Crawley, both expressed surprise at the news.

"Oh, well, you’ve got confirmation before us. We have no idea if that’s happening,” said McShera to the AP. “But we would all love to be part of the film if it was to happen, for sure.”

Carmichael expressed a similar sentiment. “Well, tell my agent, because we’re still waiting to know," she told the AP. "We’re hoping that will happen soon.”

We think the fans will agree. We're looking forward to more news from Edelstein about the movie as it develops, but we think the cast should probably get a few phone calls first.