Part two of the time-travel drama’s supersized seventh season finally has a premiere date.
There’s an end in sight to Droughtlander!
After part one of Outlander seven aired in summer 2023, part two finally has a premiere date: November 2024. The news was announced with behind-the-scenes photos from production:
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No specific November date has been set yet, but here’s everything we know so far about Outlander season seven:
Starz officially announced that Outlander had been renewed for a 7th season in March 2021.
“Starz is committed to investing in unapologetic, bold premium storytelling that amplifies diverse voices and shines a spotlight on women in front of and behind the camera through our #TakeTheLead initiative,” Christina Davis, President of Original Programming for Starz, said in a statement. “The hit series ‘Outlander’ embodies everything about our initiative including a powerful female lead character and an amazing team of storytellers. We look forward to following the adventures of Claire and Jamie in America during the Revolution as well as more time travel during this next season.”
“We are so excited Starz has given us the opportunity to continue the epic ‘Outlander’ journey,” Roberts said.
Due to the pandemic, Outlander‘s sixth season had to be shortened. However, fans need not worry. To make up for this “droughtlander,” Starz announced an extended season seven, featuring sixteen episodes.
“We are excited to get into the editing room to work on bringing the fans one step closer to reuniting with the family back on Fraser’s Ridge,” said Matthew B. Roberts, Outlander‘s showrunner, in a statement. “Filming in 2021 has presented an unprecedented set of challenges which led us to the decision to truncate the season in order to bring the fans the most vibrant and dynamic season as soon as possible. Dinna fash, we will then film an extended season seven with 16 episodes next year as life returns to normalcy.”
The first eight episodes aired in summer 2023, and the next eight episodes (part two) will premiere in November 2024.
In an interview with ET, executive producer Maril Davis even went so far as to call season seven “supersized.”
When rumors swirled that this could be the finale season of the show, Diana Gabaldon weighed in on Twitter, writing: “Don’t pay attention to stupid click-bait online, is my advice. Of course Season 7 _might_ be the last–it may well NOT be the last. Nobody knows that. But people keep pestering, so they get non-answers like, ‘Maybe’ and add silly headlines.”
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Don’t pay attention to stupid click-bait online, is my advice. Of course Season 7 _might_ be the last–it may well NOT be the last. Nobody knows that. But people keep pestering, so they get non-answers like, “Maybe” and add silly headlines. 😘 https://t.co/si1EFeJxV9
— Diana Gabaldon (@Writer_DG) July 3, 2022
Later, it was announced that Outlander will get an 8th and final season, which is currently in production.
Production on season seven took place in 2022.
Heughan and Balfe also both appeared in a teaser video from the set, which was released to celebrate World Outlander Day on June 2nd. “We are here working hard for you, on what is, I think, my favorite season yet,” Sophie Skelton teased in the video.
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Outlander | On the Set of Season 7 | STARZ
The 7th season is based on the book Echo in the Bone.
“We can’t wait to get into the writer’s room and start breaking Echo in the Bone and look forward to giving the fans another season of this exhilarating story,” Roberts said.
Diana Gabaldon’s website offers the following description of the story:
The season seven title sequence is by Sinead O’Connor.
In time for Valentine’s Day 2023, Starz revealed the season’s new title sequence, performed by Sinead O’Connor. “We are honored to have Sinead O’Connor performing ‘The Skye Boat Song.’ Her rendition is, for me, a reminder of all that’s beautiful about Outlander,” says Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner and executive producer of the show. “She is talented beyond measure. Hers is a voice of the ages—one which pierces heart and soul—and embodies the spirit of the show.”
Author Diana Gabaldon wrote part of the first episode of season 7.
Before season six was cut short, Diana had written a portion of episode 609. On Twitter she shared that “small bits” of her script are now “used in ep. 701.”
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I did, but it was 609. 😜 So then they truncated S6 to 8 episodes. Small bits of my script are used in ep. 701, though. https://t.co/psp1BQN3fG
— Diana Gabaldon (@Writer_DG) April 23, 2022
The main cast is set to return for a 7th season.
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Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie and Sophie Skelton as Brianna Fraser MacKenzie.
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Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser.
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Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser.
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John Bell as Young Ian.
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David Berry as Lord John Grey and Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom.
Caitriona Balfe (Claire Randall Fraser), Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser), Sophie Skelton (Brianna Randall), and Richard Rankin (Roger Wakefield) are all set to reprise their roles.
There are some new faces set to appear on screen as well. Deadline reports that Izzy Meikle-Small and Joey Phillips have joined the cast as Rachel Hunter and Dr. Denzell Hunter, respectively. “We’re excited to welcome Izzy and Joey to the Outlander family and can’t wait for fans to see how these two fantastic actors bring Rachel and Denzell to life,” Matthew B. Roberts said in a statement.
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Meet the fabulous pair playing the Hunters: @Izzy_Meikle and @joeyphillips92! #Outlander pic.twitter.com/v2O8cj9Jo6
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) August 30, 2022
In October of 2022, Starz confirmed a whole slew of new additions to the season 7 cast, as well as some significant returning faces. Actor Andrew Whipp will be reprising his season 1 role as Brian Fraser, and Graham McTavish will return as Dougal MacKenzie. On the new side, Kristin Atherton is replacing Laura Donnelly in the role of Jenny Murray.
You can see the full details of season 7’s new cast in the tweet below:
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Look at all those shining faces! Meet the cast joining us for #Outlander Season 7. pic.twitter.com/uwdDbnuQwD
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) October 11, 2022
Now, fans may well be wondering exactly how this will work, since some of the returning players listed above are dead in the show’s current timeline. Flashbacks are always a possibility, but showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has hinted that there may be a different explanation. “One of the many joys of our epic story is the element of time travel which allows us to revisit some of our favorite characters in different times and places, and we’re thrilled to welcome back so many familiar faces for Season 7,” Roberts said in a statement, per TVLine.
Caitriona Balfe would like to try her hand at directing the show.
Though it’s not known if that will be possible in season seven. “It’s something I’ve been talking about doing on the show. It’s falling a little on deaf ears,” she told Vanity Fair.
“It would’ve been the perfect chance for me in a very safe space,” she continued. “I’m so close with all of our camera crew, and they were always having conversations about what lens they’re using and what frame it is and they’re really always super helpful in giving me as much information as I want. It’s a shame, but out of my hands.”
Season 7 has been in the works for a while now.
At the Television Critics’ Association press tour in January 2019, executive producer Maril Davis spoke about future plans for the series. “We’ll keep making this until Claire and Jamie are a hundred,” Davis said. “Honestly, we will. There’s still many more books to go. And if Starz and Sony are willing, we’re willing, and if the actors are willing, we’ll keep going.”
It certainly seems like both Starz and Sony want to stay in the Outlander business, because a prequel series was confirmed to be in the works. The show, which is titled Blood of my Blood, will follow the love story between Jamie Fraser’s parents Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser. It’ll be written and executive produced by Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts, while Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis will also return as executive producers.
In the past, fans have asked for a spinoff series that specifically follows Lord John Grey, and uses Diana Gabaldon’s novellas about the character. And depending on how well the prequel series performs, that could still be in the works. “We continue to talk on a regular basis about developing the story line around Outlander. It’s something that we are aware of,” Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch told EW. “We want to continue to serve that audience with what we think are the best stories.”
And Starz President of Original Programming, Kathryn Busby, was quick to reassure fans that the original show remains a high priority, even as its universe expands. “Outlander is such a very important show for us that we would love to have as much as we possibly can have,” Busby told Deadline. “[The prequel will] absolutely not [take away Starz’s commitment to the original series]. What we’ve proven with the Power franchise is that we can have different lanes of storytelling around the same base. We believe that we can do that with Outlander as well. They are not mutually exclusive at all.”
