Droughtlander is seriously over. Amidst Outlander season 6's long-awaited release and Outlander season 7's pending 16-episode arc, an Outlander prequel is officially in the works and quenching thirsts.
Based on Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books, the Starz adaptation follows the time-jumping love story of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). The steamy historical fiction has gripped fans' attention since 2014, so it's no wonder why the Outlander universe is expanding with its very own spin-off series.
Forewarning, the show's still in the early stages with a capital E. But we just got some major details about what's happening. Here's all that we know about what to expect for the Outlander prequel:
Variety reported the prequel news in February 2022, revealing that Outlander executive producer and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts will also helm the spin-off. As far as details go, we dinna ken. The outlet said a writers' room was being assembled to begin work.
But that's not all. Thanks to an official announcement from Starz in August, fans will be glad to hear that the show is OFFICIALLY confirmed to move forward. So much so, that the new series even got itself a title - Outlander: Blood of My Blood.
"Outlander is a riveting show that from season to season has captured the hearts of its fans around the world," said Kathryn Busby, president of original programming at Starz. "We are excited to peel back the layers of this vibrant world to bring our audience to the origin of where it all began."
We can read the room... The glaring question on everyone's minds: Will the Outlander cast reappear (namely, a certain red-haired Scot)? The short answer: No. "All I can tell you is I'm not in it, as Jamie's not in it!" Sam recently told Esquire.
He continued: "I believe that it's a prequel focusing on Jamie's parents when they were younger, so I guess you might see a young version of him at some point. But I think I may be a little too old to play young Jamie now! I could play his dad maybe, or a flash forward? It is time travel, after all."
Back in February, Diana teased a line from the new book she's "barely begun" working on:
Book and show devotees alike already know Ellen MacKenzie as Jamie's mother. It's highly likely it'll chronicle her upbringing in the Scottish Highlands, her courtship to Brian Fraser and the subsequent birth of Jamie and her other children. And even though Diana's busy working on the prequel novel, it doesn't seem like Starz has approached her to help out with the TV adaptation just yet.
"Well .. THIS is interesting," she wrote on Facebook in August. "Note that I have no idea what a 'Consulting Producer' is, and no one has talked to me about being one. This doesn't mean that I won't be involved with the show, but I have no details at the moment."
"Yes, I am writing Brian and Ellen's story. I have no idea what the timing of the show might be, or to what extent the show-runners plan to use the book (insofar as it exists by that point). 'In development' is not the same thing as being green-lit; it just means they're starting to put together the pieces."
Once released, we predict you'll be able to stream it exclusively on Starz like its predecessor. Starz, a cable network you can add to your current TV subscription, costs $10 a month. Amazon Prime Video members can try a free 7-day Starz trial and it'll cost $8.99 per month after that.
Fingers crossed the spin-off series follows suit to Outlander. If so, Netflix subscribers will be able to stream episodes after the seasons have premiered on Starz.