Fans of the TV series "Downton Abbey" may have to wait a long time for its film version because of scheduling difficulties with the cast.

Appearing on the morning show "Good Morning Britain" to promote his film "Paddington 2," Hugh Bonneville, who played Lord Robert Crawley in the period drama, was asked about the status of the film.

The actor said that he is excited about a "Downton Abbey" film but they haven't started filming yet.

"Downton movie, we would love it to happen, where there's a will there's a way but there's no sign of it," Bonneville said.

The actor added that it would be lovely if the cast can pull it off together and if they find themselves in the same part of the continent at the same time, then the movie would be a possibility.

"Downton Abbey" showrunner and screenwriter Julian Fellows has expressed the difficulty of pinning down the cast to start filming as each of them has their own contractual obligations to follow. He said that his job is to write the script of the film but whether they can get the cast together or not for three months is out of his hands. Nevertheless, he is still hopeful that it will eventually happen.

These responses come on the heels of "Downton Abbey" fans going crazy last month after seeing a mysterious Facebook post which they assumed to be revealing the movie's release date. The post told fans to keep their eyes peeled as they were about to announce some big news.

Fans of the show have been waiting to see the Crawley family on the big screen ever since the show aired its last episode in 2015. Last June, reports confirmed that a full length "Downton Abbey" film was being developed.

Then, in July, one of "Downton Abbey's" stars, Joanne Froggatt, who played Anna Bates, promised the show's fans that the script for the much-awaited movie version would be wonderful. The actress added that as long as the script is on the level where people expect it to be, there's no reason why it should not succeed.