‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 notes: Michelle Dockery and Lily James announcements

If you are a follower of Lily James on Twitter, you’ve probably wondered for quite some time what the “Downton Abbey” star meant when tweeting a simple message reading “WHAT A DAY!” a number of weeks ago. Well, we now figure it may have had something to do with the following news: She’s set to be the new Cinderella on the big screen.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that James, who is a series regular for season 4 in the role of Lady Rose, has landed the coveted role of the fairy-tale princess in the upcoming feature film adaptation direction by Kenneth Branagh (“Thor”). Cate Blanchett is set to play the wicked stepmother, whereas the rest of the casting still remains somewhat of a mystery. Fairy tales are hot right now, thanks in part to “Once Upon a Time” and some other film properties.

This project is going to start shooting in the fall, which means that if James wants to stay on the ITV drama, she will probably have a chance to continue with the show while also playing Cinderella and pursuing other film gigs. Ultimately, this is really one of the great benefits that comes out of getting to be on a show that only films eight episodes a year along with a Christmas special.

In other news, James’ fellow cast member Michelle Dockery has also landed a role of her own, albeit a much different variety. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Emmy nominee is set to guest star on an upcoming episode of “Family Guy,” where she will be voicing the part of a British aristocrat on a period drama (natch). We’re guessing there will be some self-parody here. The episode is set to air next season.

If you want to read some more “Downton Abbey” news pertaining to Allen Leech along with show creator Julian Fellowes, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ITV