Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes signs for US show

Julian Fellowes next television project will be set in America in the 1880s

The man behind hit period drama Downton Abbey has signed a deal for a new series on US television.

NBC and Universal Television announced that Julian Fellowes will write and produce a "sweeping epic".

The Gilded Age, will be set in the world of the rich in 1880s New York.

"This was a vivid time," says Fellowes, "with dizzying, brilliant ascents and calamitous falls, of record-breaking ostentation and savage rivalry; a time when money was king."

There is no word yet on when the series will air.

The announcement comes days after ITV confirmed Downton Abbey will get a fourth series in late 2013.

'Immensely talented'

NBC says Julian Fellowes will continue in his roles as writer and executive producer of the show as he begins work on his new production deal.

ITV says ratings for the whole of the third series of Downton Abbey averaged at 11.9 million people.

Filming of eight new episodes plus an extended special episode for Christmas 2013 will begin in February next year.

Jennifer Salke, President of NBC Entertainment, says the network is "thrilled" to have the "immensely talented" Julian Fellowes on board.

"Having him on our team represents a major creative coup," she adds.