Starz will expand the world of Outlander with a prequel series now in the works.
Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts will return to write and executive produce the prequel series. Also returning will be executive producers Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis under their Tall Ship Productions. Sony Pictures Television will be the studio. Speculation about an Outlander prequel with Roberts at the helm started last summer when Deadline reached out to Starz about the project.
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News of the prequel series comes ahead of Outlander’s Season 6 premiere on March 6, which picks up shortly after traumatizing events of season five. When viewers last saw Claire (Catrionia Balfe), she had returned to Fraser’s Ridge after escaping a violent encounter with Lionel Brown. Claire and Jamie (Sam Heughan) were facing the threat of a looming Revolutionary War, and a decision as to what is best for their family.
Per the logline, Season 6 “sees a continuation of Claire and Jamie’s fight to protect those they love, as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life in colonial America. Establishing a home in the New World is by no means an easy task, particularly in the wild backcountry of North Carolina – and perhaps most significantly – during a period of dramatic political upheaval. The Frasers strive to maintain peace and flourish within a society which – as Claire knows all too well – is unwittingly marching towards Revolution. Against this backdrop, which heralds the birth of the new American nation, Claire and Jamie have built a home together at Fraser’s Ridge.”
The series is based on the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon, who revealed in early February that she is writing a prequel to the franchise. On Facebook Gabaldon shared that the in-the-works prequel will center on Ellen MacKenzie, the wife of Brian Fraser and the mother to Jamie Fraser. The author also previously centered a young Jamie Fraser in the 2013 book, Virgins.
Starz has already renewed Outlander for Season 7, which will be based on the seventh of the eight books in the series. Outlander is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Left Bank Pictures and Story Mining & Supply Company, in association with Sony Pictures Television. Moore, Matthew B. Roberts, Maril Davis, Toni Graphia, Andy Harries and Jim Kohlberg executive produce.
Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report.
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