Outlander fans are in for a treat. Not long ago, a fan asked author Diana Gabaldon on Twitter if she’d ever thought about writing a prequel about Jamie Fraser’s parents. Her response was vague but told us everything we need to know. “Yes, It’s in progress.”
Insert a million cheesy face emojis here.
Yes. It's in progress. https://t.co/ZBIoaMXwqe
— Diana Gabaldon (@Writer_DG) June 8, 2020
This is a very exciting reveal, because there is so much depth that could be explored in such a work. While we know who Jamie is now, we don’t know much about the people who brought him into this world, Ellen and Brian Fraser, or his upbringing in Lallybroch. His parents had already passed away by the time the story starts. We know that Murtagh loved Ellen, and that their bond was strong enough that he kept an eye on Jamie for as long as he lived. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is.
We’ll likely meet the younger versions of a handful of characters we already know from the current series, including Colum and Dougal Mackenzie (Ellen’s brothers), and of course, Murtagh. And we’ll presumably get to see what Jamie was like a wee tyke.
This is just one of many Outlander books Gabaldon is working on. At the moment, she’s busy as a bee writing the ninth book in the series, Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone. Beyond that, she’s also alluded to writing more spinoffs starring Lord John Grey:
Oh, yes. https://t.co/Cc9PX3sGFM
— Diana Gabaldon (@Writer_DG) May 4, 2020
With so many new Outlander books in the pipeline, we ask to ask the question: will any of them be adapted for TV? Starz seems eager to capitalize on the brand, with rumors about Lord John Grey (David Berry) getting his own spinoff persisting.
I think we’d all love to see the Outlander universe expand on Starz, perhaps in the same way The Walking Dead universe has expanded on AMC. Fear the Walking Dead, for example, explores what life was life before the zombie apocalypse. An Outlander show about Jamie’s parents could explore what life was like a generation before the story we love. It’s easy to forget that Jamie Fraser had a life before Claire fell through those stones, but he did, and it’s a story I’d be eager to hear.
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