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    Maggie Smith to Take Lead in Film Version of 'A German Life'

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    WENN/Daniel Deme

    Developed by screenwriter-playwright Christopher Hampton, the one-woman show about Nazi Joseph Goebbels’ secretary will be opera director Jonathan Kent’s movie debut.

    Dec 1, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Dame Maggie Smith is set to star in the film version of her one-woman show about Nazi Joseph Goebbels’ secretary, Brunhilde Pomsel.
    Developed by screenwriter-playwright Christopher Hampton, who was awarded an Oscar for the screen adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons”, Smith previously played the role in “A German Life” at The Bridge Theatre in London’s West End.
    The project will be opera director Jonathan Kent’s movie debut.

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    “A German Life” is based on a series of interviews that Pomsel gave when she was 103. The screen version came about due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, which has closed theatres throughout the world.
    “What with COVID, Maggie decided that she didn’t really want to go back and do it again on stage, which was a great shame because it meant that an enormous number of people hadn’t seen it and her great performance,” Hampton told Variety.
    He adds, “What I’ve been doing is writing it as a screenplay about this woman in her retirement home in 2013 talking about her life. The film script was more difficult to write than the stage play. Sometimes she looks out the window and sees characters, but otherwise, it’s all just her through the course of the day talking about her memories.”
    Additionally, Hampton shared that he finished his long-gestating stage play about Jimmie Lee Jackson, the African-American civil rights activist and a deacon in the Baptist church in Alabama. “The death of Jimmie Lee Jackson led to the Selma to Montgomery marches. In 2010, the policeman was finally tried and sentenced to six months in jail. I’ve been working on this on-and-off for some time. I went to Alabama four or five years ago, while the guy who killed Jackson was still alive. Finally, after doing all this research, I wrote it this summer, and it turned out to be sort of unpleasantly relevant [with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations],” he said.

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      in Movies

      Maggie Smith Set to Return for 'Downton Abbey' Movie Sequel

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      Focus Features

      The ‘Harry Potter’ actress has been confirmed to reprise her role as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the upcoming second installment of the big screen adaptation.

      Nov 1, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Maggie Smith is returning to screens for the forthcoming “Downton Abbey” movie sequel.
      Smith stars as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the hugely popular franchise, but her involvement in the new project was uncertain following a moving scene in the last film where she told her granddaughter that she was sick and “may not have long to live.”
      Despite sources claiming producers are worried it would be impractical for Smith, who turns 86 in December, to return amid the pandemic, according to the MailOnline she’s agreed to appear in the flick.

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      She’ll be joined by her screen family, including Hugh Bonneville’s Lord Grantham and Elizabeth McGovern as his wife Cora. Her granddaughter Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, will also return, along with Matthew Goode as her husband Henry.
      Meanwhile, Jim Carter’s Mr Carson, Phyllis Logan’s Mrs Carson nee Hughes, Brendan Coyle’s Mr Bates and his wife Anna, played by Joanne Froggatt, will also be back, alongside Imelda Staunton’s Maud, Lady Bagshaw and Tuppence Middleton as Lucy Smith, who joined the cast for the first movie.
      The film will shoot from March until May next year under strict Covid-19 safety protocols. Creator Julian Fellowes has been “polishing” the screenplay during the lockdown.
      The first film based on the British hit drama series of the same name was released in 2019, four years after the TV show concluded. Serving as a continuation of the TV series, the big screen adaptation grossed $194 million worldwide against the budget $13 – 20 million.

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      Maggie Smith Likely to Ditch 'Downton Abbey' Movie Sequel Due to Covid-19 Concerns

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      ITV

      The 85-year-old actress may not be able to reprise her role for the next ‘Downton Abbey’ film because of the higher risk posed to the elderly by the coronavirus.
      Jun 24, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Maggie Smith will reportedly be unable to reprise her role in the sequel to the “Downton Abbey” movie due to fears it will be unsafe for her to be on set due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
      The first film, released last year, concluded with her character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, not having long to live, but it was thought she would appear in the sequel for a final farewell
      However, producers fear she will not be able to return as she will be 86 when filming starts next year 2021 and it will not be safe for her to be on set due to the risk posed to the elderly by the coronavirus.
      “Before lockdown, the hope was that Dame Maggie was considering a return for the sequel,” a source at the film’s studio, Focus Features tells British newspaper The Sun.
      “There was a genuine ­feeling that even having her return for just a flashback would leave fans delighted. Safety has to be their top priority and she will be 86 by next year. Everyone’s hands are tied.”
      “She has been the spirit and heart of the Downton project for years so it will be really sad if they can’t make it work.”
      The movie, which was a major hit – repeating the success Downton had as a TV period drama, earned more than $192 million in cinemas, with creator Julian Fellowes keen to proceed with a sequel.

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