The sequel to the Downton Abbey movie release date has been delayed

While it has only been just over a year since fans were treated to the return of the beloved period drama Downton Abbey in feature-length form, the official word around the manor is the film's sequel has been delayed!

When the long-running series left our screens in 2016, fans of Downton Abbey were delighted to see all of our favourites characters from the original TV show, including Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery), Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) and Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), returned to the big screen.

But now it has been announced that fans will have to wait a bit longer to be reunited with the much-loved characters, as the movie has been pushed back from Christmas this year to March 18, 2022.

Earlier this year, after the announcement of the sequel, Downton star Hugh Bonneville took to Twitter to share his excitement about the new movie.

"Good to be back. #DowntonAbbey2," he wrote alongside a photo of him posing in front of a Downton Abbey poster.

Producer Gareth Neame - who worked as executive producer on the original TV series - previously revealed to The Hollywood Reporter they actually started working on the plot for a sequel not long after the first film was unveiled.

"It's the same as the first time around: We have to try to get everyone back together again. And that was very challenging," he told the publication.

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

All we can say is BRING IT ON!