Fans were devastated that Downton Abbey came to an end in September 2025 following the release of its third film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. One of the most popular characters from the show was Tom Branson, played by Allen Leech, and now, Deadline has revealed the actor's next project, Pedro Pan, which is based on an incredible true story. It's not been confirmed what role the 44-year-old, who made his feature film debut in 2002's The Escapist, will be playing, but he's joining a star-studded cast.
Deadline reports that Allen will be joining Néstor Carbonell, who won an Emmy Award for his role in Shogun; Cold Case and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit lead Danny Pino; Spanish actress Paz Vega, who appeared alongside Nicole Kidman in Grace of Monaco and Andy Garcia, who was previously nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Godfather Part III.
The upcoming film is based on the real-life Operation Peter Pan, also known as Operación Pedro Pan, an exodus of 14,000 children aged between six and 18 from Cuba, which had recently become a Communist country following the revolution led by Fidel Castro. The clandestine mission was supported by the United States government and Catholic Church, which saw the unaccompanied children arrive in the United States before being reunited with relatives or settled in foster families or Catholic charities.
The film, which is due to begin production in November, is set to follow three figures in the exodus, including a Cuban socialite, an English schoolteacher and an Irish Catholic priest. The trio will be spearheading the operation, which was led by the fear that the children would become "indoctrinated" to Communist beliefs, as they help the children not only escape the country, but also avoid Fidel Castro's secret police.
The film has been written by Richie Adams (The Road Dance), who will also be directing and producing the project, and Bart Gavigan (The Journey Home). Also joining the behind-the-scenes will be David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) and Brent Miller (One Day at a Time), who will be serving as executive producers.
Speaking about the upcoming film, Bart said: "I'm humbled to bring this chapter of history to the screen with such an extraordinary cast, whose talent and authenticity will bring depth and truth to these roles. With the participation of Cuban actors at the heart of this project, we aim to honour the community's lived experiences and bring this incredible story to a global audience."
© Alamy Stock PhotoProjects away from Downton
Allen, 44, has fronted multiple projects away from Downton Abbey, and back in January, the actor, who has also appeared in The Imitation Game, led Channel 5 drama, The Vanishings, which was loosely based on the real-life terrifying disappearances of women in Ireland in the 1990s. It follows investigative journalist Lisa Wallace, played by India Mullen, who publishes an article about her mother's murder only to receive a chilling letter from the killer.
© Channel 5The synopsis read: "After publishing an article about her mother's murder, Journalist Lisa Wallace gets a chilling letter from the killer, taunting her with pictures of the murder and of a new victim. Soon, news comes of Amy Reynolds, a woman who's gone missing. Lisa and Detective David Burkely (Leech) begin fighting through Garda red tape as more girls go missing.
"Meanwhile, the killer plays psychological torture games with Lisa, making her choose his victims and even threatening her in person. Lisa and David's path leads them into the crosshairs of the deeply corrupted core of the Garda. To cover their tracks, high-ranking Garda members blackmail David with his own secrets. This threatens to destroy them both as they get closer to facing off with the killer who murdered Lisa's mother all those years ago."
