Julian Fellowes Dishes on Downton Abbey’s Future After Movie

Julian Fellowes has big plans in store for Downton Abbey‘s Lady Mary—or shall we just say Mary?

Focus Features just released Downton Abbey: A New Era, but the writer behind the beloved franchise is already thinking of the future, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “As long as there’s an audience, there’s certainly something to say.”

There’s no word yet on a third installment of the film—”only the gods know,” Fellowes remarked—but if given the choice, he’d want to explore what happens to Mary (Michelle Dockery).

In fact, Fellowes planted the seeds for a new chapter in Mary’s movie storyline. “We see her mature and turn into someone who is aware of her responsibilities,” Fellowes said. “In this film, what I hope people see, is that she is going to be able to make the adjustments as the 20th century gather steam in a way that her father would have difficulty with.”

This is evident in Mary’s decision to get rid of the formalities and just go by her first name. “That’s a very 20th century thing to do,” the writer explained. “[Mary’s father] would not say, ‘Robert, please.’ No!”