Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens Will Menace Ben Stiller In Night At The Museum 3

Last month, we brought you news that Robin Williams was close to signing on to reprise his role as Teddy Roosevelt in upcoming sequel Night at the Museum 3, and now another piece of casting news has been released. British thesp Dan Stevens, best known for his role as Matthew Crawley on the popular ITV/PBS soap Downton Abbey, has agreed to play Sir Lancelot, who will serve as the film’s main antagonist.

So far, Ben Stiller has been confirmed to return as night security guard Larry Daley, and Williams’ involvement has since been confirmed as well. Night at the Museum 3 will take place in London, though the specific museum has not yet been announced. My bet is on the British Museum though, so that returning director Shawn Levy can explore that museum’s famous Cat Mummies and the Lewis Chessmen. 

Stevens earned widespread acclaim while playing Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey, and the character’s exit at the conclusion of the third series prompted strong reactions from audiences and critics alike. Since then, Stevens has appeared in romance Summer in February, WikiLeaks biopic The Fifth Estate and The CW’s sci-fi drama The Tomorrow People (voicing a sentient computer). He’s also worked on two projects scheduled for release next year: Liam Neeson-starring crime drama A Walk Among the Tombstones and Adam Wingard’s horror thriller The Guest.

Are you excited that Stevens has signed on for this sequel? Or has the long pause between this third entry and Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian (which came out in 2009) caused you to lose interest in the franchise? Let us know in the comments section!

Night at the Museum 3 is scheduled for release on December 25th, 2014.