I hope it's a kind and generous film.

And I think the success of the show historically

has been the dignity and love for all the characters.

I'm going to... Hello and welcome back to the director's cut brought to you by the Director's Guild of America.

In today's episode, the residents and staff of the beloved English manor house return in director Simon Curtis's romantic period drama,

Downton Abbey, A New Era. Based on the popular television series and a follow-up to the

2019 feature film, a new era reacquaints us with the Crawley family and their servants, as some

venture to the south of France, while others remain behind to oversee the shooting of a film at their estate.

In addition to Downton Abbey a new era,

Mr. Curtis's directorial credits include the feature films,

The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Goodbye Christopher Robin,

and episodes of the series The Practice and Tracy takes on.

Following a recent screening of the film at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, Mr. Curtis

shares insight into the making of Downtonabby a new era with fellow director Amy Holden Jones.

Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation.

Thank you for coming. I appreciate it. It was an antidote, I said, to the current

dark times. It's a beautiful family story and they begin to feel like our family,

the mountain family.

What was the best thing for you about doing this film, Simon?

Well, it got me out of the house in lockdown.

But honestly, it was a real privilege to work with that ensemble.

You know, they are some of the, well, you could argue, almost the greatest

...