Outlander season 8 is currently in production and fans have been dissecting the latest set photos – and one character in particular – looking for clues about what’s to come
The eighth season of Outlander is currently filming and fans have been debating over an apparent change that’s been made to a pivotal character in the Fraser saga.
Outlander fans have been discussing what could be a huge change to William Ransom (played by Charles Vandervaart), the secret biological son of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
Set photos from the upcoming eighth season have recently leaked online, showcasing a dramatic transformation for Jamie and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) as they enter their golden years.
However, one fan was rather surprised when they discovered a similar change seems to have been made to William, perhaps to make him look more like his father as their relationship strengthens towards the final episode.
“I just saw photos of the actors filming season 8. William’s hair is very red now!” they posted on Reddit.
“He was so handsome as a brunette like his mother. I am wondering if there is a reason (maybe discussed in the books? ) his hair has turned red in the show?
“He still looked like Jamie with the dark hair. The red is just not ‘him’.”
Some fans offered an explanation that William’s hair has always had a reddish tint, in line with Diana Gabaldon’s description of his hair glinting under sunlight.
“I recall William shaving his beard because he didn’t like the red stubble,” one viewer replied. “It’s always been slightly reddish and not surprising given his lineage.”
“Is this the photo?” another queried, sharing a snap of Charles on set sporting a reddish-brown ponytail.
“If so, his hair is kind of chestnut in the light, which actually fits his descriptions in the books and his chestnut-haired mother and red-headed father.”
Another fan expressed disappointment at the apparent changes, retorting: “Hasn’t this show learned its lesson with trying to change actors’ hair colours?”.
Elaborating further, they added: “They tried to put David Berry in a blond wig but it didn’t look good.
“Dyeing Sam Heughan’s hair to match Jamie’s shade of red so frequently turned his hair purple. Outlander has had poor luck with dyeing actors’ hair colour, so why are they trying it again with Charles Vandervaart?”
However, someone countered: “It might be semi-permanent or a rinse of some sort.
“He won’t be spending hours in a chair every 3 weeks, nor will he be required to keep doing it even during Droughtlanders, as Sam was required to do.”
But another concurred: “It does look more red than Chestnut. Hopefully it’s the lighting.”
Set photos aren’t always the most accurate way of predicting how scenes will appear on screens, so fans will just have to wait a bit longer to see if any truly drastic changes have occurred to their beloved Fraser clan.
Outlander season 7, part 2 premieres Sunday, November 22 on Starz.