Claire Randall & Jamie Fraser
“Outlander,” the upcoming original series based on Diana Gabaldon’s book of the same name, is an epic story of time travel and romance. The book series has captivated readers for years, and now the saga will be coming to life on Starz.
“Outlander” follows the adventures of 1945 World War II nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe, “Super 8”) as she travels through time and lands in 1743 Scotland.
Though already married to Frank Randall in the 20th century, she is forced to marry Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan) in the 18th century, and she is caught between the two men and two worlds as she and Jamie grow closer.
Complicating matters is that Tobias Menzies has dual credits as her husband Frank and a Captain Black Jack Randall. Does Frank have a relative in the distant past who looks suspiciously like him? Hmm. Menzies may be familiar to “Game of Thrones” fans—he’s Edmure Tully.
The series’ Executive Producer is Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica”), and the music will be composed by Bear McCreary. No stranger to Starz productions, McCreary has also composed the music for their original series “Black Sails” and “DaVinci’s Demons.”
Check out the trailer:
I remember reading “Outlander” a long time ago, because we received a review copy at the bookstore where I worked, and I knew the series had a huge following. I picked it up with great expectations but remember slogging through it and being rather disappointed. Though lengthy novels have never intimidated me, this one just seemed excessively long.
However, the Starz adaptation looks rather exciting. Perhaps it might encourage me to read the next book in the series, and my tastes may have changed some between now and when I first picked up “Outlander.” At any rate, the series will no doubt pick the best scenes to adapt to the small screen. And there will be men in kilts.
If you’d like to try the books for yourself, the kindle version on Amazon is rather inexpensive, and there are currently 7 books in the series, with the 8th scheduled for release later this summer.
While an exact air date for “Outlander” has yet to be announced, it is scheduled to begin sometime this year.
Claire Randall & Frank Randall