Great news, Sassenachs! The Outlander prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, has officially started filming in Scotland. You know we're never going to complain about getting more story out of this wonderful historical drama universe. And though the prequel won't feature Jamie and Claire, it is focused on some very important people in their lives. We can't wait!
When news about the show was first announced in 2022, we knew that Blood of My Blood was going to tell the love story of Jamie Fraser's parents - Ellen and Brian. And from the little tidbits we've garnered from Outlander about them, they too had an epic love story! Well, Starz surprised us with the casting announcement and gave us an awesome update — the new show will also explore the origins of Claire's parents too! How exciting is that? We really don't know much about our favorite Sassenach's parents other than that they died in a car accident when she was young, which lead to her being raised by her Uncle Lamb. Well, now we get to learn more about them.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood is filming, no release date yet
Starz shared that production and filming has begun on Outlander: Blood of My Blood as of Feb. 5, 2024. As us fans know from the long Droughtlander periods, this series will probably take a while to film. There's a lot of elements and steps the creative team takes to make Outlander look as magnificent as it always does. So, I can definitely justify the wait even though it's brutal as a fan! I do think the prequel is going to take months of filming just like the flagship series does.
So right now we don't have a release date yet. There is Outlander season 7 part 2 to look forward to sometime in 2024. And based on a press release, the eighth and final season has not begun filming yet but will soon. So I wonder if we're actually going to get the prequel series first! While a release date has not been announced, Starz did share that Blood of My Blood will be a total of 10 episodes.
Plus, thanks to the behind-the-scenes image shared above, the amazing Jamie Payne will be directing the premiere! He's been in charge behind the cameras on Outlander, with his episodes including the season 5 finale as well as the lat episode of season 6. He's had some tough installments to tackle, and he's done them brilliantly!
What to expect
What is it going to be about? Now that, we do have some information about! According to Starz, Outlander: Blood of My Blood will "explore the lives of Jamie's parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser." Their story of course takes place in the early 18th century Scottish Highlands. The show will also focus on "the origin story of Claire's parents, Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp." Their tale will be focused during WWI England. So like their daughter, they may have also served in the war. The highly-anticipated series will be told as "two parallel love stories set in two different time periods."
The great news is that behind the scenes, we have the same core team from Outlander working on Blood of My Blood. That means we're in very good hands. Outlander showrunner, executive producer, and writer Matthew B. Roberts will take on the same duties in the prequel series. He's joined by Ronald D. Moore, who developed the flagship show, executive producing too, as well as current Outlander executive producer and developer Maril Davis who is taking on the same duties in the new production. Author of the Outlander books, Diana Gabaldon, will be a consulting producer.
Here's what Roberts said about the upcoming project in a press release:
"We’re thrilled to be telling the stories of these two couples. The origins of their relationships explore universal themes that transcend time periods and we’re so excited for fans to discover and fall in love with these characters and their love stories the way they have with Claire and Jamie."
In 2023 when the series got the official green light from Starz, Roberts also said the following in a statement:
"Outlander: Blood of My Blood is, at its heart, a love story. It will explore what lengths a person will go to find love in a time when love is considered a luxury, and when marriages are made strategically, often for political or financial gain. The title is a nod to Jamie Fraser’s marriage vow to Claire, and there will be several names and faces that Outlander fans will know and recognize."
Meet the parents
Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser
There's four actors who play the core roles in Blood of My Blood and that I'm sure we're going to fall in love with the way we've fallen for Jamie and Claire! First up are the OG Frasers - Harriet Slater will be playing Ellen MacKenzie with Jamie Roy taking on the role of Brian Fraser. We've met Jamie's father, an older version of him, in Outlander season 1. Unfortunately, he passes away while Jamie is locked up in Fort William for the first time following being flogged by Black Jack Randall.
As for Ellen, we've never seen her onscreen, though she's been referenced a few times. She died in childbirth when Jamie was eight years old, and the baby passed away as well. She's going to be an interesting character though and one I really want to learn more about because she's Colum and Dougal's sister! We know she had many admirers, though ended up running away with Brian and away from her brothers so they could be together. Truly epic!
Slater is best known for her role as Sandra Onslow for the three-season run of Pennyworth. The British actress' acting credits also include Clara Dunn in Belgravia: The Next Chapter and a small role as Fran in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Roy is a Scottish actor who has appeared in projects like Your Boyfriend is Mine, Burning Little Lies, Flowers and Honey, and Perfect Lies.
Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp
As mentioned above, we really don't know a lot about Claire's parents from the show. They're not mentioned in the books very much either. So their story is going to be a treat for Outlander book fans too! All we really know is that the two of them died in a car accident when Claire was only five years old. And that's how she ends up being adopted and raised by her Uncle Lamb. Hermoine Corfield is Julia Moriston, while her onscreen husband is going to be Jeremy Irvine as Henry Beauchamp.
You may have seen Corfield in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Tallissan "Tallie" Lintra in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Hope Pace in The Misfits. On television, the English actress is best known for her role as Freddy Lane in the British crime drama We Hunt Together. Fellow Brit actor Irvine has taken on many projects over the years. Some of his notable ones are the talent's film debut as the lead in War Horse, Adam in Now Is Good, Young Eric Lomax in The Railway Men, Daniel Grigori in Fallen, and Young Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Is the prequel series based on a book?
The Outlander television series itself is based on the books by Diana Gabaldon. So what about Outlander: Blood of My Blood? It is sort of based on a book in the universe. Here's what I mean. That novel does not exist yet. Gabaldon is currently writing it, and it's in the early-ish writing stages as far as we know right now. Though the author is working on the untitled novel about Jamie's parents. So it's hard to determine whether the creative team is adapting the story according to the ideas she currently has, will craft a bit of their own story, or do both. Though with Gabaldon on as a consulting producer, I'm not worried.
Historically, the flagship series has adapted one book per season. So for example, season 1 is an adaptation of the first Outlander novel, followed by the second season adapting book 2 - Dragonfly in Amber. Over the years, the team has combined or moved around certain events from other novels. But overall, it's adapting one book per season. Though the television production has caught up with Gabaldon's work now, and Outlander season 7 combines books 7 and eight. Season 8 of the Starz show will cover book 9 - Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
Gabaldon has previously said that the tenth book will serve as the conclusion to Jamie and Claire's story, and she is currently working on it. Her franchise has other prequels and companion novels, as well. Her version of events will focus more on Ellen and Brian, so it seems like the series has thrown in a surprise for us! For a full list of Gabaldon's works and how she recommends you read stories in order, head over to her website.
Stay tuned to Hidden Remote as we bring you updates about Outlander and Blood of My Blood on Starz!