Matthew Goode Is Coming Back to 'Downton Abbey' for 'The Grand Finale'

Although Downton Abbey has been off of TV screens for basically a decade at this point, the franchise has found a new life in movie theaters. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale promises to be a fond farewell for a franchise that has had a very extended life, and now that the first trailer for the new film is out, many want to know which members of the original cast will be back for this new installment.

One of the names that has attracted the most interest is Matthew Goode, who played Henry Talbot in the original series. Here's what we know about whether he'll be back for The Grand Finale.

Matthew does not appear to be reprising his role in the new film, but the cast does include Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Allen Leech, Laura Carmichael, Elizabeth McGovern, and Harry Hadden-Paton, who are all reprising their roles from the original series. The cast also includes Paul Giamatti, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Sophie McShera, Alessandro Nivola, Lesley Nicol, and Arty Froushan.

Matthew was one of Lady Mary's love interest during the show's fifth and sixth seasons, and also appeared in the first Downton Abbey movie. Since then, though, he has gone on to star in a variety of other projects. Matthew's character Henry Talbot is likely still Lady Mary's husband in this new installment. In A New Era, the second film, his absence was written around, and Lady Mary even engaged in a flirtation before she ultimately returned to him.

It's possible, though, that Henry's absence could be explained in any number of other ways. Until we see the final film, we won't know for sure the exact reasons for his absence. The Grand Finale is likely to be the last Downton Abbey, in part because the number of original cast members willing to return for more movies has dwindled with each subsequent installment.

We don't know much about the specifics of this third film beyond the cast list, but we do know that the movie will see the Crawleys move into the 1930s and embrace the challenges that their new, more modern existence brings with it. Of course, the 1930s is also an era of worldwide depression, although we don't know for sure whether that will play a huge role in the movie.

Matthew has not said why he decided not to return for this third film, although the explanation seems to be some manner of scheduling conflict. His show Dept. Q just debuted on Netflix to solid reviews, and it seems like Matthew might be ready to explore what his life looks like now that Downton Abbey has been in his past for some time. The Grand Finale is set to hit theaters on Sept. 12.