Will there ever be a Downton Abbey movie? Well, it’s writer has offered fans an update.

The on-off drama of whether or not there’s going to be a Downton Abbey movie has almost matched the plot of the series itself. One week things seem positive. The next? Not so much. Cliffhangers all the time.

At the moment, ‘hopefully’ seems to be the best anyone can really come up with.

Series writer Julian Fellowes has pretty-much always weighed in on the positive side of the debate, however. Indeed, he has done so again recently while taking part in a web chat for The Guardian.

When asked about progress on the film, he said:

“I keep being asked about the Downton film. I’ve done some work on the script because I don’t want to find there’s a green light and no script ready. But we’re still waiting for that green light from the studio.”

He went on to note some of the obvious problems there will be pulling it all together:

“The biggest difficulty will be rounding up all the cast as, compared with most series, it has such a large cast. And it needs them to feel Downtonesque. I know the cast are behind it and there’s a big audience out there. On most movies, unless it’s Spider-Man 6, you’re taking a punt. But it’s pretty likely the Downton movie will happen.”

So, there you have it. A very polite ‘we’re trying’.

Fellowes also has a new series called The Gilded Age in the pipeline, on which he said:

“Having spent six years on Downton, I wanted a bit of time in between that and the next thing. I’ve been pretty busy with School of Rock, Half a Sixpence and Wind in the Willows. And I’ve had some fun on television. I’m trying to tidy my desk. As an actor, it’s hard to say no to anything – and that continues as a writer. So I want to tidy my desk of commitments and move on with The Gilded Age – a new world and a new bunch of characters. That’s why I’ve been so slow off the mark with it.”

Do you think we’ll ever see a Downton Abbey movie? Let us know in the comments!