There will be no Lady Rose in Season 6 of “Downton Abbey.” So writes my colleague Baz Bamigboye in the UK Daily Mail. Actress Lily James will be written out of the popular British drama when she finishes filming Season 5. That season airs in Britain in September and here starting next January.
Lady Rose, brought in to “replace” Lady Sybil, who died in childbirth, will not be killed off. Instead, she will probably go join her parents in India or wherever they’ve been sent in the diplomatic corps.
The reason for this is that James is the star of Disney’s blockbuster live action “Cinderella” scheduled for release next spring. Cate Blanchett plays the evil stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter is Cinderella’s fair godmother.
The release will occur just as “Downton” films Season 6. James, says the report, will be busy on a worldwide promotional tour. She’ll be unavailable for the hijinks at real life Highclere Castle.
Show creator Julian Fellowes likes Lady Rose, however. Expect to see her at least in the final episode of Season 6, and in Season 7. In the meantime, Fellowes will have to come up with a couple of characters in their early 20s to descend on “Downton” and help steer them into the late 1920s. (I do believe “Downton” will end before the 1929 stock market crash and the Depression. No one wants to see that.)
