“We’re Not Done Yet”: The Gilded Age Creator Addresses New Downton Abbey Crossover Possibility In Season 3
The Gilded Age creator Julian Fellowes hints at a new possibility for a crossover with Downton Abbey. The Gilded Age season 3, created and executive produced by Fellowes, premieres June 22 on HBO. On September 12, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the final film of the global phenomenon created by Fellows, premieres in theaters. Could Downton‘s Crawley family unite with the cast of The Gilded Age‘s 1884 New York City high society?
A story by Deadline about Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age, and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale indicates that “a second door of possibility” may open for a crossover in The Gilded Age season 3. While Downton fans have long speculated that Cora Levinson’s (Elizabeth McGovern) family could meet the Russells and Van Rhijns of The Gilded Age, Deadline hints at “something totally different,” about which Fellowes says, “We’re not done yet, so we’ll see.” Read below:
Without giving away too much, a second door of possibility is opened between The Gilded Age and Downton Abbey for a crossover that fans have discussed at length since the show’s announcement.
Originally, it was believed that the two shows could connect through Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), nee Levinson, an American heiress married to patriarch Robert Crawley, the 7th Earl of Grantham. This season, two families come together in a way that could set up something totally different.
“I kept hearing that Downton was going to be connected to the Gilded Age, but the story in Downton starts in 1912,” he shared.
When asked if the stories could connect beyond the Downton characters and into their ancestors, he added with a grin, “Maybe. We’re not done yet, so we’ll see.”
The Gilded Age’s Crossover With Downton Abbey Speculation Explained
Downton Characters Live In New York City
The Gilded Age is set in New York City in the 1880s, decades before Downton Abbey begins in 1912 in Yorkshire, England. However, when The Gilded Age was being developed, Julian Fellowes mused that Cora Levinson’s family could appear. The Levinsons are led by matriarch Martha Levinson (Shirley McClaine), and Cora would be a teenager in The Gilded Age‘s timeframe. Fans speculated that The Gilded Age could introduce the young Cora meeting Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville). Lady Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) would also be in her early 40s during The Gilded Age.
However, Deadline‘s report that a different Downton Abbey crossover could be in the works for The Gilded Age season 3. There are other ancillary Downton Abbey characters in the late 19th-century United States, like the family of Tom Branson (Allen Leech) in Boston. A crossover could involve minor characters connected to Downton‘s Crawley clan meeting or already knowing the Van Rhijns, Russells, or the Astors.
Our Take On A Possible Downton Abbey Crossover In The Gilded Age Season 3
The Julian Fellowes Shared Universe Looks Likely
While Downton Abbey takes place decades after The Gilded Age, younger versions of some of the Crawleys or characters known to be connected to Downton popping up in 1880s New York City would be welcome at this point. The Gilded Age‘s universe is complex and can logically include characters from Downton visiting or living in America at that time. The possibility of a Downton Abbey crossover makes The Gilded Age season 3 even more must-see for Julian Fellowes’ fans.
