'Downton Abbey's Phyllis Logan has admitted trying to round up the entire cast to shoot the highly-anticipated period drama movie is like trying to "herd cats".

Phyllis Logan

Phyllis Logan

The 61-year-old actress - who was known for portraying Mrs Hughes in the series - is adamant plans for a big screen adaption of the show will go ahead at some point but bosses are struggling to line up schedules because the cast - including Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael and Hugh Bonneville - are tied up with other things.

Speaking on 'Good Morning Britain' on Friday (10.03.17), she said: "The will is definitely there with everybody involved. The will is definitely there.

"So, let's fingers crossed that we can make it all come about at some stage. And we'd love all to get back together again and have one last hurrah, we certainly would.

"'There's so many of us. There's so many of us.

"In normal film situations you might have a core cast of half a dozen or whatever. But this is a core cast of thousands it feels like at times. And so... herding cats?"

Rumours that a blockbuster was in the pipeline have been rife since the ITV drama left television screens in 2015 following five successful years.

The show's writer Julian Fellowes said previously: "I hope there is going to be a film. I would like there to be a film. There are many factors as like all the actors in 'Downton Abbey', we made them famous. Now they have all gone off and they are doing films, theatre or TV series so it will be quite difficult rounding them up."

As well as a film, Julian is also thinking about bringing the programme back to screens by putting together a prequel with an entirely new cast.

He explained: "I think it would be possible to do a prequel that was re-cast and do a sort of a love story so you went right back and had the young cast arriving in the show as footmen and Mrs Patmore being a kitchen maid. It would work if you told everyone's story from 30 years before. You could do that with a different cast."

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