Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery lands next lead movie role

Rebecca Sayce

March 23, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.·2 min read

Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery has landed a leading movie role in Destry Allyn Spielberg's directorial debut.

Dockery will star in Please Don't Feed the Children, the first film from the daughter of Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg.

Production for the upcoming horror film will begin in Mexico in April, as confirmed by Deadline, and has been described as an "elevated genre film".

The synopsis of the film reads: "After a viral outbreak ravaged the country's adult population, a group of orphans heads south in search of a new life, only to find themselves at the mercy of a deranged woman harboring a dangerous secret."

Speaking in a statement, Spielberg said it was a "dream come true" to work with Dockery on the movie.

"I am so grateful to have the opportunity to bring this story to the screen with such a collaborative and inspirational team. This picture is so much more than just a horror film. It's a dream come true to work with a talent such as Michelle Dockery. I am excited to elevate the genre with our incredible cast and crew."

Dockery is also set to lead the new series by Peaky Blinders director Steven Knight, titled This Town. David Dawson and Nicholas Pinnock are also set to star in the show that is filming in Birmingham.

The series will follow a family and four youngsters exploring the world of ska and two-tone music in the 1970s and 1980s, and how this connected the communities of Coventry and Birmingham.

destry allyn spielberg — Isaiah Trickey - Getty Images

Knight previously shared in a statement: "This is a project very close to my heart. It's about an era I lived through and know well and it involves characters who I feel I grew up with. It's a love letter to Birmingham and Coventry but I hope people from all over the world will relate to it."

Dockery has also been cast in the thriller Boy Kills World as Melanie, the sister in the film's main family of characters, according to Deadline. She's described as a sociopath who tries to to hide the real chaos of her family to the outside world.

Downton Abbey The Movie is available to buy on digital, DVD and Blu-ray now. Downton Abbey: A New Era will be released in cinemas on April 29 in the UK and May 20 in the US.

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