Two least favorite characters from Outlander are set to appear in the upcoming prequel Blood of My Blood based on the latest image from the series. Shared by Outlander’s official Instagram page, the new images showcase Dougal and Colum MacKenzie, a.k.a. Jamie’s uncles, who will be featured in the new series, which is yet to have a release date. The duo is well-known for their “imposing presences” at Castle Leoch during the early seasons of Outlander and were portrayed by Graham McTavish and Gary Lewis, respectively. In addition to Jamie’s uncles, other beloved Blood of My Blood characters revealed are Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser and Mrs Fitz, portrayed by Rory Alexander and Sally Messham, respectively. Also revealed are Jocasta Cameron (Sadhbh Malin), Ned Gowan (Conor MacNeill), and Simon Fraser, a.k.a. Lord Lovat (Tony Curran).
The newly released photo provides a first look at the MacKenzie brothers in their younger years in Outlander: Blood of My Blood. As seen below, Seamus McLean Ross (Rebus) and Sam Retford (Coronation Street) play Colum and Dougal in the spin-off, and they will be joined by Harriet Slater, Jamie Roy, Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Tony Curran, and Rory Alexander. The showrunner is Outlander’s Matthew B. Roberts, who also serves as executive producer alongside Maril Davis and Ronald D. Moore. The first season will have 10 episodes, with Outlander author Diana Gabaldon acting as consulting producer.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood will follow the romantic affair between Jamie’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie (Slater) and Brian Fraser (Roy), as well as Claire’s parents, Julia Moriston (Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Irvine). The official logline reads:
“The series will center on these two parallel love stories set in two different time periods, with Jamie’s parents in the early 18th-century Scottish Highlands and Claire’s parents in WWI England.”
Diana Gabaldon Is Very Involved in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’
Earlier this month, novelist Gabaldon detailed her involvement in Outlander: Blood of My Blood and, at the same time, discussed the new chapters in her still-ongoing book series. She will be writing a script for the prequel and one for Season 8 of Outlander, and, according to her, penning the scripts is “so much easier than writing novels.” Apparently, it takes her less time, particularly “three weeks tops,” to write a scene.
Speaking further about Blood of My Blood, Gabaldon hinted at how much source material she’s writing in conjunction with the prequel, even though only one season has been green-lit so far.
“Well, the television version isn’t up to me, but for what it’s worth, I have material for three — relatively short, as compared to the main Outlander novels — prequel books concerning Jamie’s parents. Blood of My Blood is based on the synopsis of the first of those books.”
Outlander: Blood of My Blood is scheduled for a 2025 release. Meanwhile, Outlander is currently streaming on Starz.