Starz Casts Members of Fraser & McKenzie Clans for 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood' Prequel
(Photo: Starz)
The world of Starz's time-traveling period drama series Outlander just keeps getting bigger. With the flagship series set to celebrate its 10th anniversary this summer -- and premiere the second half of its seventh season --- production continues apace on the highly anticipated prequel series Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which will take the familiar series back to Scotland to explore the past of several fan favorite characters, including the parents of both Outlander leads, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and Claire Beauchamp Fraser (Catriona Baife).
The network has recently announced a slate of castings to fill out the new series' world. And Outlander viewers will be very familiar with the characters the prequel has added, if not necessarily the men playing them, as they all had key roles in the early seasons of the show when its story was more centered on the politics of Scotland. Rory Alexander (Pistol) will play a young Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, a role originated by Duncan LaCroix. Sam Retford (Coronation Street) takes on the role of the headstrong Dougal MacKenzie, with Seamus McLean Ross (Payback) as his cunning older brother Colum MacKenzie, and Conor MacNeill (The Tourist) as a younger version of their faithful advisor Ned Gowan. (These roles were originally played by Graham McTavish, Gary Lewis, and Bill Paterson, respectively.)
The newcomers join an already-announced cast that includes Harriet Slater (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) and Jamie Roy (Condor's Nest) as Jamie's parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, and Hermione Corfield (We Hunt Together) and Jeremy Irvine (Dalgliesh) as Claire's mother and father, Julia Morston and Henry Beauchamp. Tony Curran (Mary & George) will play Lord Lovat, Jamie's grandfather, who is mentioned briefly in the original series as having had Brian Fraser out of wedlock with a maide at Castle Downie.
Tony Curran, Laurie Davidson, and Trine Dyrholm in "Mary & George"
(Photo: Sky/AMC)
Blood of My Blood will follow the dramatic love story of Jamie's parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, which we've heard quite a bit about on the flagship show. But, in keeping with the franchise's time-bending premise, the series will simultaneously follow the origin story of Claire's mother and father, Julia Morston and Henry Beauchamp. These parallel love stories will be set in two different historical periods, with Jamie’s parents in the early 18th century Scottish Highlands and Claire’s parents in World War I England.
“We are thrilled to expand our Season 1 cast with some well-known characters from the Outlander universe. We’re so excited to welcome Rory, Sam, Séamus, and Conor to the MacKenzie and Fraser clans and to explore the young journeys of these fan-favorite characters,” showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts said in a statement.
In addition to Roberts, Ronald D. Moore will also executive produce Blood of My Blood, along with Maril Davis. Moore and Davis developed the original Outlander for television, under their production banner Tall Ship Productions. Story Mining & Supply Company will also executive produce, and Outlander author Diana Gabaldon will serve as a consulting producer. Outlander: Blood of My Blood is produced by Sony Pictures Television. The series will be available across all STARZ platforms in the U.S. and Canada.
Production on the ten-episode first season is currently underway in Scotland.
