'Outlander' Prequel Casts Major Roles That Will Change Jamie & Claire’s Lives
As fans anxiously await the second half of Outlander season 7, the prequel series Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which centers around the love stories between Jamie parents & Claire’s parents, is moving full speed ahead. In every love story, there are many moments that fate leads couples to. When they first meet, marry, have their first child, fall back in time, and tragically get separated by 200 years for 20 years are just a few. And for Jamie and Claire (Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe), there are a few vitally important people who led them to these life-changing moments. Murtagh Fraser (Duncan LaCroix), Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish), Colum MacKenzie (Gary Lewis), and Ned Gowan (Bill Paterson). The younger versions of these fan favorite characters have just been cast for the prequel show, while Outlander gets ready to film its final season. Check out the newest cast members, and the latest news on the second half of Outlander season 7 and season 8, including Balfe’s directing debut.
In case you missed it, Claire and Jamie’s parents have already been cast. Jamie’s parents will be played by Harriet Slater (Ellen MacKenzie) and Jamie Roy (Brian Fraser), and Claire’s parents will be played by Hermione Corfield (Julia Moriston) and Jeremy Irvine (Henry Beauchamp).
Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, Dougal MacKenzie, Colum MacKenzie, and Ned Gowan, are the four characters whose younger versions will be seen in the upcoming prequel series, and will all irreparably change Claire and Jamie’s lives in the future. Featured in seasons 1 through 5 in Outlander, these characters all made a deep impact on Jamie and Claire. Some good, some bad, like really bad. Looking at you, Dougal. But some really good, like Jamie’s godfather, Murtagh, who was in love with Jamie’s mother and protected Jamie until his dying day. RIP, Murtagh.
Rory Alexander (Inland, Call the Midwife) joins as Murtagh Fraser. Murtagh is the reason Claire met Jamie. He’s also Jamie’s godfather, and one of the few people who knew Claire was a time-traveler. He saved Claire from being brutally attacked by Blackjack Randall, but then to keep her from screaming, he bopped her on her head and knocked her out, then galloped off on a horse with her, where she met Jamie Fraser and his broken dislocated shoulder. Thanks, Murtagh! Honestly, Jamie and Claire’s first ‘date’ was super painful for both of them. But still they managed to make googly eyes at each other. Murtagh is the best curmudgeonly godfather-friend you could ever want.
Sam Retford (Ackley Bridge) plays the fiery Douglas MacKenzie. Dougal is Jamie’s uncle, his mother’s brother, and the reason why Jamie and Claire marry. Was he just a doting matchmaking uncle you ask? Nope, he was not. He wanted his nephew to marry Claire so Jamie would have no chance of replacing Colum as the leader of their clan! Shrewd uncle plan, but listen, it worked out well for everyone, Jamie, Claire, their sex life, Brianna (Sophie Skelton), and pretty much the entire outlander audience. There was one person it didn’t work out for, and that’s Dougal. Big D became a dead D. Because Jamie and Claire killed him, and they looked damn good doing it. Seriously, go rewatch it, the couple that murders their uncle together stays together!
Seamus McLean Ross (Rebus, Payback) will play Dougal and Ellen MacKenzie’s brother Colum. Like Dougal, he was also instrumental in Jamie and Claire’s union. He was slightly better than his brother, in that he valued Claire as a healer, and is the reason she was forced to stay at Castle Leoch. But then again, he may have had a slight hand in possibly not helping Claire when she was thrown in jail for being a witch and almost burned at the stake. (Side eye to Laoghaire). Claire was whipped though. But luckily Jamie rescued her after 5 lashes. And then Claire decided to tell Jamie everything that she’s not a witch but from the future. Jamie believed her and she chose to not return to the future and Frank but instead enjoyed a super happy life with Jamie, where nothing bad happened at all.
Conor MacNeil (The Tourist, Industry, The Fall, Belfast) joins as young Ned Gowan. MacNeil was also in Belfast, starring Outlander’s own Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan. Ned was a lawyer who helped get Claire’s wedding dress from a brothel. Not all heroes wear capes alright! Played to perfection by Ned Gowan, he also tried (unsuccessfully) to free Claire from the witch trial. He also helped Jamie out when Claire returned from the future, and Jamie had to lose his second annoying wife Laoghaire’s who wasn’t really his wife because Claire never died. When Claire returns 20 years later, she was shocked Ned was alive, (so was Ned). The real question is, is Ned alive in present day on Outlander? It’s possible, he could be 115 years old.
Tony Curran also joins as Lord Lovat, Jamie’s grandfather who appeared in season 2 of Outlander, and is not exactly a beloved family member. In fact, he seems to have been actively against the pairing of Jamie’s parents. Curran will also star with Julianne Moore in Starz’s limited series Mary & George this April. Many more fan favorite roles are no doubt being cast, like Laoghaire’s granny, Mrs. Fitzgibbons, played in Outlander by Annette Badland, she’ll probably be the local healer like Claire.
As for an update on Outlander, Balfe and Heughan, the hit show will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary, air the second half of its seventh season later this year, and soon begin production for season 8, which will be its final season. So, there will be a double dose of Outlander for the next year or two, which should make fans happy in every time period, namely for the foreseeable future.
Balfe revealed in The Women of Outlander Panel at ATX Festival, that she would be directing a full episode this season and they would be filming it first. A picture of Balfe and Maril Davis shared on the official Outlander account, indicates Balfe is already prepping for her directorial debut.
While you’re waiting for part 2 of season 7 of Outlander, catch up on the first half with Balfe and Heughan’s interview, Maril Davis’s breakdown of the mid-season finale, and check out all of our recaps here: Episode 7.1, Episode 7.2, Episode 7.3, Episode 7.4 and Episode 7.5, Episode 7.6, and Episode 7.7 and the mid-season finale 7.8.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood will be executive produced by Matthew Roberts, as well as Maril Davis and Ron Moore, who developed Outlander for television. Outlander book author Diana Gabaldon will serve as consulting producer. All seasons of Outlander are streaming now on Starz.
Before you go, check out the all-time best ‘Outlander’ episodes you need to watch.
