Harriet Slater, Jeremy Irvine to star in 'Outlander' prequel, 'Blood of My Blood'

Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Belgravia: The Next Chapter actress Harriet Slater and War Horse alum Jeremy Irvine are to play the leads in Starz's Outlander prequel, Blood of My Blood.

Production is underway in Scotland on the 10-episode first season of the franchise's next time-traveling drama.

Jamie Roy and Hermione Corfield co-star.

The show will explore the 18th century Scottish lives of Ellen MacKenzie (Slater) and Brian Fraser (Roy), Jamie's parents, as well as Claire's mother and father Julia Moriston (Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Irvine), who are living in World War I England.

"We're thrilled to be telling the stories of these two couples," Matthew B. Roberts -- showrunner, executive producer and writer on both series -- said in a statement Monday.

"The origins of their relationships explore universal themes that transcend time periods and we're so excited for fans to discover and fall in love with these characters and their love stories the way they have with Claire and Jamie."

The franchise is based on Diana Gabaldon's bestselling fantasy novels.

The flagship series is going into its eighth season at Starz, with Sam Heughan playing Jamie and Caitriona Balfe playing Claire.