Outlander author has not been approached to consult on prequel series

As of this writing, Outlander author Diana Gabaldon has not been asked to consult on the upcoming prequel series Blood of My Blood. This is not to say she won’t be, but according to her recent Facebook post, it hasn’t happened yet.

Back in February, Gabaldon announced that she would be writing an Outlander prequel book chronicling the love story between Jamie Fraser’s parents, Brian and Ellen. It is a story many fans have been waiting for, along with that of Lord John Grey.

We’ve briefly heard and seen glimpses of Jamie’s parents in the Starz series, but this story would truly dive into who they were. More importantly, it would provide some background of who Jamie is by showing us his upbringing. I’d love to see what Brian and Ellen taught their kid!

Will Diana Gabaldon consult on the upcoming Outlander prequel series?

On her official Facebook account, Gabaldon wrote, “Well….THIS is interesting…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 pieces. I’m just mentioning it here because Starz announced it today on Twitter and Facebook, so figured everyone would be wanting to know about it."

It’s still early days, and I can’t imagine that Starz would overlook Gabaldon. She is the genius behind the story, after all. Perhaps, they are letting her do her thing and will circle back once the book is complete. Starz exec Kathryn Busby clarified Gabaldon’s role in a statement to Deadline. “We’re still working the details out but Diana Gabaldon will definitely be involved,” she said. “She is a fantastic writer and from season to season, she’s been a pleasure to work with. We are going to keep working with her.”

Matthew B. Roberts is joining the prequel series as a writer, showrunner, and executive producer. He works in the same capacity for the flagship series, which is currently filming Season 7. I’m looking extremely forward to the prequel series because Jamie’s parents have always been a point of intrigue for me as an Outlander fan. There is so much about him we don’t know, and I’m hoping that learning more about his parents will shed some light on those mysteries.

Will Outlander last beyond season 7?

Busby also clarified that the prequel will not take away from the network’s commitment to the original series. “Outlander is such a very important show for us that we would love to have as much Outlander as we possibly can have,” she said. “What we’ve proven with the Power franchise is that we can have different lanes of storytelling around the same base. We believe that we can do that with Outlander as well. They are not mutually exclusive at all.”

Busby says this at a time when it’s not clear whether the upcoming seventh season of the show will be its last. She didn’t comment on whether stars like Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe have been signed up for future seasons.

So fans are wondering if maybe the spinoff is indeed a way to continue the franchise while losing the original show. We won’t know anything for certain for a while.

See Caitriona Balfe audition for Claire Fraser in Outlander

No production or premiere date has been set for Blood of My Blood. In the meantime, feel free to watch Caitriona Balfe’s original audition tape to play Claire Fraser:

This was released in celebration of Outlander’s eight-year broadcast anniversary! The seventh season of the show should be coming along either late this year or early next.

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h/t Deadline