{"id":2014459,"date":"2025-09-11T15:49:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2014459"},"modified":"2025-09-11T15:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:49:10","slug":"why-julian-fellowes-ended-downton-abbey-over-nazis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/why-julian-fellowes-ended-downton-abbey-over-nazis\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Julian Fellowes ended \u201cDownton Abbey\u201d over Nazis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, <\/em>in theaters Friday, brings the 15-year saga of the Crawley family to a close.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Creator Julian Fellowes says he felt it was time to end the story after six TV seasons and two previous films.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Fellowes was partly eager to give the characters a firm conclusion now to avoid getting further into the historical timeline and WWII.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/julian-fellowes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Julian Fellowes;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Julian Fellowes<\/a> would rather not write a story set during World War II.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That&#8217;s why the creator of <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/downton-abbey\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Downton Abbey;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Downton Abbey<\/a> <\/em>decided it was time to end the story of the Crawley family after 15 years (for this generation at least).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I didn&#8217;t really want to get into the Nazis and Germany and the lead up to the Second World War,&#8221; Fellowes tells <em>Entertainment Weekly. <\/em>&#8220;I wanted to leave at a time when that had not yet become apparent as a threat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>Rory Mulvey\/FOCUS FEATURES LLC<\/p>\n<p> Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville in &#8216;Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale&#8217;<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Given that, Fellowes confirms that <em>Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, <\/em>in theaters Friday, is well and truly the conclusion of this story (at least, it is for this generation of characters anyway).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film takes place in 1930, which Fellowes says he views as the beginning of the &#8220;modern age&#8221; and a world quite different from the one in which <em>Downton <\/em>has existed. (Interestingly, Fellowes and director Robert Altman decided to set <em>Gosford Park <\/em>in November 1932 for the same reasons.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Downton <\/em>has said goodbye several times before, most notably with its series finale after its six-season run on television. Then, potentially over the course of two previous films, each of which could have been a viable conclusion for the storytelling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But Fellowes wanted to put a definitive end to things for both his cast and the audience to have a sense of closure. &#8220;The actors and everyone else had come to the end of this job, and it was time to set them free,&#8221; he adds.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Rory Mulvey\/FOCUS FEATURES Laura Carmichael, Harry Hadden-Paton, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, and Michelle Dockery in 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale'\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/nI3axfORAyr7Xz6rMew5vw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/8570698caca92ef7f3b5ee578d362d3d\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\">\n<p>Rory Mulvey\/FOCUS FEATURES<\/p>\n<p> Laura Carmichael, Harry Hadden-Paton, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, and Michelle Dockery in &#8216;Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale&#8217;<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We&#8217;d have <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/elizabeth-mcgovern-maggie-smith-death-freed-up-new-downton-abbey-movie-11792261\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:a very big goodbye to Maggie [Smith] in the second film;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">a very big goodbye to Maggie [Smith] in the second film<\/a>,&#8221; Fellowes explains. &#8220;We gave her a sort of state funeral, and then, of course, very sadly, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/downton-abbey-3-tribute-maggie-smith-meaningful-death-8766982\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:she actually died in real life;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">she actually died in real life<\/a>. That was quite a big thing for all of us because we&#8217;d worked very closely together for quite a long time. But I just felt that we had said goodbye to Maggie, but we haven&#8217;t quite said goodbye to everyone else.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For many viewers, Lord Grantham (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/hugh-bonneville\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hugh Bonneville;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Hugh Bonneville<\/a>), his American wife Cora (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/elizabeth-mcgovern\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Elizabeth McGovern;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Elizabeth McGovern<\/a>), their daughters Mary (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/michelle-dockery\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Michelle Dockery;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Michelle Dockery<\/a>) and Edith (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/laura-carmichael\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Laura Carmichael;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Laura Carmichael<\/a>), and their tight-knit group of servants have become almost a second family. Fellowes feels he owes that audience and their loyalty some reassurance of the characters&#8217; general well-being.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Want more movie news? Sign up for <\/em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/ewk-movie-opt-in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/ewk-movie-opt-in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:'s free newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">&#8216;s free newsletter<\/a> to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I wanted to be sure that the public who&#8217;d followed their fortunes felt happy and satisfied to say goodbye to these people,&#8221; he says. &#8220;In other words, I felt they needed to have an indication of where they were all going and how they were all going to deal with the changing world. It&#8217;s no longer going to be a world of white tie and footmen; that was on its way out. So, we needed to be sure that they would be okay.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/julian-fellowes-ending-downton-abbey-avoid-nazi-storylines-11807843\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, in theaters Friday, brings the 15-year saga of the Crawley family to a close. Creator Julian Fellowes says he felt it was time to end the story after six TV seasons and two previous films. Fellowes was partly eager to give the characters a firm conclusion now to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2014460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[364229,356228,334473,363854,356227,369131,356232],"class_list":["post-2014459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-elizabeth-mcgovern","tag-hugh-bonneville","tag-julian-fellowes","tag-laura-carmichael","tag-michelle-dockery","tag-previous-films","tag-the-grand-finale"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Why-Julian-Fellowes-ended-Downton-Abbey-over-Nazis.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2014459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2014459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2014459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2014460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2014459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2014459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2014459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}