Look who's coming to Downton!

Shirley MacLaine will join the cast of British period drama Downton Abbey for its third season, producers confirmed Monday.

MacLaine, 77, will play Martha Levinson, the American mother of Elizabeth McGovern's wealthy countess, Lady Cora Grantham. The Oscar-winning screen legend will go toe to toe with Maggie Smith, who portrays the tart-tongued Dowager Countess Violet, according to the show's producers.

Gareth Neame, managing director of Carnival Films, which produces the series, said the new character "will be a wonderful combatant for Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess and we are excited at the prospect of Shirley MacLaine playing her."

The second season of Downton Abbey, which airs in the United States on PBS, concludes on Feb. 19. Production for the Golden Globe-winning show's third season, which will reportedly take place during the 1920s, will begin in the spring. The show is expected to air in September in the U.K., followed by a U.S. premiere. 

沪江娱乐快讯:美国老戏骨雪莉·麦克雷恩要加盟英剧《唐顿庄园》啦!昨天,电视剧片方确认了这一消息。77岁的美国传奇性女演员,奥斯卡得主雪莉·麦克雷恩将倾情加盟刚刚获得金球奖的英剧《唐顿庄园》。雪莉·麦克雷恩与英国国宝级演员玛吉·史密斯将如何飙戏?我们拭目以待!据悉,《唐顿庄园》的第三季将于今年9月回归。