We’ve got some casting news for you “Downton Abbey” fans (and no, it doesn’t include Diddy). Two of your favorite characters, from both upstairs and downstairs, have booked some other gigs outside of Yorkshire.
Though many were sad to see Dan Stevens (who played Matthew Crawley, presumed Downton heir) leave at the end of this season, the British actor has kept himself very busy onscreen (and off in last year’s Broadway revival of “The Heiress”) with “The Fifth Estate,” a drama about the growth of Wikileaks, “Summer in February,” a romance set in an Edwardian artists’ colony in Cornwall, and “A Walk Among Tombstones,” a crime drama involving a P.I. and a drugpin. According to Variety, Stevens is adding “The Guest” to that roster. Helmed by the team behind “V/H/S” (director Adam Wingard, screenwriter Simon Barrett, and producers Keith Calder and Jessica Wu), “The Guest” is about a family who befriends a somewhat-shady serviceman and will be a darker turn for Stevens.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding Kenneth Branaugh’s upcoming “Cinderella,” particularly about casting news with Cinderella (Lily James, fellow Downton-er), Prince Charming (Richard Madden, Robb Stark on “Game of Thrones”), and the Evil Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) all lined up. Hot off of the presses, we shared yesterday that Holliday Grainger has joined as one of Cinderella’s stepsisters. While waiting for the other shoe to drop (pun very much intended), we’ve heard that the other stepsister could be Downton’s own Sophie McShera (who plays Daisy Mason, kitchen maid-turned-assistant cook), according to THR. With McShera cast as the other stepsister, we’re still waiting on Jaq and Gus (we kid!).