The prequel series to Starz‘s Outlander has found its lead actors and is heading into production.
Filming has begun in Scotland on Outlander: Blood of My Blood, a show that will focus on the parents of the leads in the main series. Starz previously said the prequel would center on Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) mother and father; the premium cabler now confirms that Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) parents will also be part of the story.
Harriet Slater (Pennyworth) and Jamie Roy (Lifetime’s Your Boyfriend Is Mine) will play Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, who will eventually become Jamie’s parents in 18th century Scotland. Hermione Corfield (We Hunt Together) and Jeremy Irvine (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) will play Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp, Claire’s parents, whose story unfolds in World War I-era England.
“We’re thrilled to be telling the stories of these two couples,” said Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner of both Outlander and Blood of My Blood. “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.”
On Feb. 26, Starz announced four more additions to the cast — all of whom will take on younger versions of characters previously seen in Outlander. Rory Alexander (FX’s Pistol) will play Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser (played by Duncan LaCroix in the parent series). Sam Retford (Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge) plays Dougal MacKenzie (played by Graham McTavish in Outlander). Séamus McLean Ross will play Dougal’s older brother Colum (Gary Lewis in the parent show), and Conor MacNeill (HBO’s Industry) will play the young Ned Gowan (Bill Paterson plays Ned in Outlander).
Four other actors were announced as joining the cast on April 3. Brian McCardie (the BBC’s Time) will play Isaac Grant, the leader of Clan Grant, and Jhon Lumsden plays his son, Malcolm, a potential suitor for Ellen MacKenzie. Sara Vickers (Watchmen, Endeavour) will play Davina Porter, a housekeeper in the Lovat household and the mother of Brian Fraser. Peter Mullan (Ozark, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) will play Red Jacob MacKenzie, laird of Clan MacKenzie and father to Ellen, Dougal, Colum, Janet and Jocasta.
On April 24, Starz announced that Sally Messham (A Small Light) will play Mrs. Fitz, Ellen’s maid at Castle Leoch. Terence Rae will play the young Arch Bug, a bodyguard for Clan Grant. Sadhbh Malin plays the young Jocasta Cameron, the youngest child of the MacKenzie clan. Ailsa Davidson (Halo) plays Jocasta’s sister Janet. Annabelle Dowler and Harry Eaton will each play 20th century characters — Dowler will portray Lizbeth, Julia’s boss at the War Department, while Eaton will play Private Charlton, Henry Beauchamp’s friend and fellow soldier.
As for the main series, the second half of Outlander’s seventh season is set to air later this year (the first eight episodes ran in the summer of 2023), setting up the show’s eighth and final installment.
Starz began developing Blood of My Blood in early 2022 and gave it a formal series order in January 2023, at the same time it announced Outlander would end with season eight. As is the case with the main series, the prequel comes from Sony Pictures Television. Roberts executive produces with Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis (via their Tall Ship Productions), who developed Outlander for TV. Story Mining & Supply Company also exec produces. Diana Gabaldon, whose novels are the source material for Outlander, is a consulting producer.
Slater is repped by The Artists Partnership UK and Untitled US. Roy is with Patrick Hambleton Management in London and Cohesive Entertainment Group in Los Angeles.
Feb. 26, 9 a.m. Updated with additional casting.
April 3, 11:08 a.m. Updated with further casting.
April 24, 8:05 a.m. Updated with more casting.
This story was originally published on Feb. 5.
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