‘Downton Abbey’ Actors Head To New Projects After Series Finale; See What’s Next For Michelle Dockery And The Cast

“Downton Abbey” ends Sunday, but that doesn’t mean the faces of the PBS period drama are disappearing. After six seasons, many of the cast members are jumping right into new jobs. Fans can follow the Crawley family and their staff to several new TV shows and films, but don’t expect them to play the same loveable characters in these projects.

Michelle Dockery – Lady Mary is nowhere to be seen in the trailer for “Good Behavior.” In the TNT drama, Dockery plays a modern-day con artist. However, her morals are tested when she finds out that someone is going to be killed.

She is also currently filming “The Sense of an Ending.” The movie is about a man (Jim Broadbent) who has to face his past. Dockery’s part in the story isn’t clear, but she’ll play a character named Susie.

Elizabeth McGovern – After spending six years in the U.K. playing Cora on “Downton,” McGovern is returning to America. In the movie “Showing Roots,” set in 1977, two young women (played by Maggie Grace and Uzo Aduba) want to open a hair salon for both black and white women after seeing the miniseries “Roots.” However they have to deal with the town matriarchs, played by Cicely Tyson and McGovern, who oppose the idea. The film doesn’t have a release date yet.

Laura Carmichael – Not much has been revealed about the Edith actress’ supporting role in this drama, but it takes place a couple decades after “Downton” ends. In the 1940s, Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) married a white Londoner (Rosamund Pike). The movie dramatizes the real-life controversy. No release date has been set for the film.

Joanne Froggatt – The Anna actress is sticking to period dramas and PBS, but the role is very different. In “Dark Angel,” Froggatt appears as Mary Ann Cotton, England’s first female serial killer. The miniseries will debut in the summer.

Froggatt also has three movies currently in production. In “A Street Cat Named Bob,” Froggatt plays Val. She meets a recovering drug addict (Luke Treadaway) whose life is changed when he meets a stray cat. The film is set for a Nov. 4 release.

The other two films don’t have release dates yet. “A Storm in the Stars” follows Mary Shelley’s (Elle Fanning) inspiration for writing “Frankenstein.” Froggatt plays Mary Jane Clairmont. In “Starfish,” Froggatt portrays Nicola, a wife who must keep her family together when her husband Tom (Tom Riley) is diagnosed with a rare disease.

Brendan Coyle – Just like his onscreen wife, the Bates actor has been very busy since finishing “Downton Abbey.” He has three movies on the way. “Unless” follows a writer who must accept that her daughter has decided to live on the streets. Coyle’s role in the film isn’t clear, but it’ll be much more modern than his part in “The Rising: 1916.” Like the title indicates, it takes place during the early 20th century and follows the 1916 Easter Rising Rebellion that lead to Ireland’s freedom. Neither have release dates.

In “Me Before You,” Coyle plays a father to Louisa (Emilia Clarke), a girl who falls in love with a patient (Sam Claflin) at her temp job. The film hits theaters June 3. Watch the trailer for the film, based on Jojo Moye’s bestselling novel, below:

Hugh Bonneville – The Lord Grantham actor is keeping his roles in the aristocracy. He’ll play Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in “The Hollow Crown,” a miniseries that adapts William Shakespeare’s historical plays. Bonneville’s episode will adapt “Henry VI, Part I.” The miniseries will air later this year in the U.K. on BBC2.

His work as respected figures will continue on the film “Viceroy’s House.” He plays Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was the last Viceroy in India. He has to give India back to the people as the country gets closer to becoming a republic. No release date has been revealed yet.

Which post-“Downton Abbey” projects are you most looking forward to? Sound off in the comments section below!