Outlander has one season left to go before it's all over, but Starz isn't going to leave fans hanging. In a couple of months, they'll premiere a spinoff series called Outlander: Blood of My Blood. This prequel will be set in two distinct time periods: in 18th century Scotland, we see Jamie Fraser's parents, Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, in 20th century England, we see the same thing happen with Clare Fraser's parents, Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine), in the wake of World War I.
Outlander is many things: a historical drama, a war story, a time-traveling epic...but at its heart, it's a love story. The new show will follow suit. "We are going to [show] not only one great love affair, but two great love affairs and how those parallel love stories intertwine and show us how we got to Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe)," producer Maril Davis told Entertainment Weekly. "And along the way we're going to see the family dynamics of three different clans and see an amazing rollicking adventure."
All four main characters are on display in the new teaser trailer below:
Originally, Blood of My Blood was just going to focus on Jamie's parents, but the producers eventually realized that would be too limiting. "We've talked so long about how Outlander is the story of Jamie and Claire," Davis said. "It does feel like you're missing a big piece of the puzzle if you're not telling her parents' story as well and showing both sides of the coin."
As you get to know Jamie and Claire's parents, you'll understand more about their children. "You see, 'Oh, Jamie got that from Ellen, and oh, Jamie got that from Brian,'" said producer Matt Roberts. "'And Claire got that from Julia and Claire got that from Henry.' We tried to drop those things in throughout the season. The little nuggets where the fans of Outlander will go, 'Oh, I remember that. That's where Jamie heard that, or that's where Claire heard that.'"
We'll see other familiar characters as well, including younger versions of Dougal Mackenzie (Sam Retford) and Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser (Rory Alexander). "Who they become isn't who they are now," Roberts said. "We know and love Murtaugh as being this constant companion, but he wasn't born that way. He wasn't born just to follow Jamie around. How did he get that way? Who was he prior to being this very stoic, closed-hearted man? because he is very, very closed off. But the Murtagh you meet inBlood of My Bloodisn't that way."
"What I really liked about when we started this process was seeing these people before who they become in Outlander. Most of us aren't the same people we were when we were 18, 19, or 20 years old. Life has changed us as our environment around us changed."
We'll also meet younger versions of characters like Simon Fraser (Tony Curran), aka Lord Lovat, Jamie's grandfather, whom the producers predict will be a fan favorite.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood will premiere on Starz on Friday, August 8. Sometime after that, fans will get to watch the eighth and final season of the original show. If all goes well with Blood of My Blood, it could be renewed for seasons and serve as a replacement for the original series, but much will depend on how many people watch and enjoy it later this year. For now, the Droughtlander persist a bit longer.
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