The Downton Abbey movie didn’t focus much on Anna’s relationship with Mr. Bates or their son Johnny. Rather, her storyline primarily consisted of encouraging Lady Mary to keep the estate running, discovering a thief in the royal household, and crafting a plan with the other servants to ensure that the Downton staff would be the ones to cook dinner for and wait on the King and Queen, as opposed to the royal chef and footmen.
But now, an exclusive deleted scene from the film suggests there are changes afoot for the Bates family, and new business ambitions that could feature in a sequel, should one be made.
“I’ve been thinking … our bed and breakfast hotel, could it be in Downton village?” Anna asks her husband in the clip above. “That way, we’ll never lose touch,” she says. “We could even run it from here, if you want.”
Bates thinks it over, but eventually says, “Your wish shall be my command” and kisses his wife.
No mention is made of their hospitality endeavor’s potential rivalry with Mrs. Patmore’s B&B, a property which played a role in the sixth season of the Downton Abbey television show, but didn’t feature in the movie. Perhaps that could be an element of drama in the next film.
In the months following the enormous box office success of the big-screen adaptation, rumors have been swirling about a follow up. Earlier this week, creator Julian Fellowes even said he’ll “do his best” when asked about a second movie. But nothing has been officially confirmed at this point, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
