NBC originally announced that the show would consist of ten episodes and premiere in 2019. Following the move to HBO, the series was expected to begin filming in March 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed production. The team is now hoping to start filming in the fall of 2020. HBO has reportedly committed to 10 episodes.
Development
In September 2012, The Daily Telegraph reported Julian Fellowes as saying that he was working on a spin-off prequel of Downton Abbey that revolves around Lord Grantham and Cora's romance and eventual marriage as the Earl and Countess of Grantham. Initially conceived as a book, it was then planned for pick-up by ITV. Production and writing for The Gilded Age was updated in January 2016. Asked whether he'd written the script yet, Fellowes said, 'No I haven't, no. I'm doing that this year', before adding: 'And then hopefully shooting at the end of the year.'" On June 4, 2016, Fellowes was asked by The Los Angeles Times, "Where does The Gilded Age stand?" Fellowes replied, "It stands really with me up to my neck in research, and I’m clearing the decks, so that when I start Gilded Age, I’m only doing Gilded Age. These people were extraordinary. You can see why they frightened the old guard, because they saw no boundaries. They wanted to build a palace, they built a palace. They wanted to buy a yacht, they bought a yacht. And the old guard in New York weren’t like that at all, and suddenly this whirlwind of couture descended on their heads. They redesigned being rich. They created a rich culture that we still have—people who are rich are rich in a way that was established in America in the 1880s, ’90s, 1900s. It was different from Europe. Something like Newport would never have happened in any other country, where you have huge palaces, and then about 20 yards away, another huge palace, and 20 yards beyond that another huge palace. In England right up to the 1930s, when people made good money, they would buy an estate of 5,000 acres and they’d have to look after Nanny. The Americans of the 1880s and ’90s didn’t want too much of that." The final confirmation the show would be produced was announced by NBC in January 2018. About the show, Fellowes stated: "To write The Gilded Age is the fulfillment of a personal dream, I have been fascinated by this period of American history for many years and now NBC has given me the chance to bring it to a modern audience. I could not be more excited and thrilled. The truth is, America is a wonderful country with a rich and varied history, and nothing could give me more pleasure than be the person to bring that compelling history to the screen." In May 2019, the series moved from NBC to HBO, with a straight to series order.
Casting
In September 2019, the production announced an initial cast consisting of Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Amanda Peet and Morgan Spector. In November 2019, it was announced that Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson and Simon Jones would be joining the show. In January 2020, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel and Jack Gilpin were cast as series regulars, with Jeanne Tripplehorn cast in a recurring role. In April, Carrie Coon was cast as Bertha Russell to replace Peet, who no longer will be available when production resumes after delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
