The 'Downton Abbey' movie will include a tribute to Maggie Smith, says producer: 'feels significant'

"The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway," Neame told TVLine.

"The loss of the Dowager, it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful."

"We will never see the like of Dame Maggie Smith ever again," he said. He added that the 'Downton Abbey' cast and crew's 'huge respect' will 'come across in the next movie.'

"There was no one quite like Maggie. I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family," said Michelle Dockery.

Read at New York Post