Michelle Dockery has joined the cast of Ita Fitzgerald’s new Ireland-set drama West The Road.
The Downton Abbey star joins previously-announced cast member Imelda Staunton, alongside Bad Sisters actor Eva Birthistle, Happy Valley's Charlie Murphy and Motherland's Philippa Dunne (per Screen Daily).
The upcoming film, which will mark Fitzgerald's directorial feature debut, will centre on a group of women who are brought together by the death of their childhood friend.
"When they discover their friend was forced to give her daughter up for adoption at the age of 15, the group embark on a journey from the west of Ireland up the Wild Atlantic coastline – accompanied by a donkey called Thatcher – in the hope of connecting the child with their grandmother," the synopsis reads.
West The Road is being produced by Matthew James Wilkinson and Jamie Harvey for the UK’s Stigma Films and John Wallace for Ireland’s Cowtown Pictures. The movie will start filming in western Ireland later this year.
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West The Road was first announced back in May 2023 and was initially set to star Derry Girls’ Siobhán McSweeney, Small Things Like These's Eileen Walsh and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham opposite Staunton.
However, the three actors are no longer attached to the project, with Birthistle, Murphy and Dunne now replacing them.
"West The Road is a wonderful celebration of life and the indomitable force of female friendship," said Stephen Kelliher, who is executive producing West The Road for Bankside Films, when the film was announced.
"We are thrilled to be able tell this story with such a talented cast and crew who will deliver a film that is full of laughter, joy and a great deal of emotion."
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In other news, Dockery is also reprising her role as Lady Mary in the upcoming third and final Downton Abbey movie, which will be released later this year and close the curtains on the beloved historical series.
"It's a beautiful film," the actor teased during an interview with Collider earlier this year. "For us, it was such a treat to be able to come back together again."
The actor also shared that the film will serve as a "real tribute" to the legendary Dame Maggie Smith, whose character Violet Crawley died at the end of the 2022 sequel, before Dame Maggie sadly passed away in 2024.
In addition to Dockery, Downton Abbey 3 will see the return of Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Paul Giamatti and Dominic West.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
