The 'Outlander' Prequel Casting Reveals a Jamie & Claire Twist That Fans Will Love

Jamie and Claire Fraser once said, “Blood of My Blood, bone of my bone,” and the rest was history. Those four famous words in their wedding vows, “Blood of My Blood,” is also the title of the upcoming Outlander prequel. But in order for Jamie and Claire (Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe) to even exist, four other people once made similar wedding vows to each other. The prequel has already begun filming and now we know who’s been in cast in the lead roles. Four lead roles to be exact. The prequel centers around the love story between Brian and Ellen, parents of James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. You know who else also had parents? Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser. Before Jamie and Claire fell in love, Brian and Ellen fell first, and so did Henry and Julia. And that is exactly what the Outlander prequel series is about. Two couples who were parents to one of television’s greatest love stories. The series will focus on the origin stories for both Jamie and Claire’s parents.

The four key lead roles have been cast, and filming is already underway in Scotland. Jamie’s parents will be played by Harriet Slater (Ellen MacKenzie) and Jamie Roy (Brian Fraser), and Claire’s parents will be played by Hermione Corfield (Julia Moriston) and Jeremy Irvine (Henry Beauchamp). According to Starz, “The series will center on these two parallel love stories set in two different time periods, with Jamie’s parents in the early 18^th century Scottish Highlands and Claire’s parents in WWI England.

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Now anyone who’s watched Outlander or read Diana Gabaldon’s nine-book series, upon which the Outlander television series, created by Ron Moore, is based, knows that Jamie and Claire’s parents don’t live ‘til the ripe old age of 60 like Claire and Jamie. And please note, Jamie and Claire look like they might even see their 70s with great dental hygiene and war notwithstanding. But Julia, Henry, Ellen and Brian have slightly more tragic endings, and all die fairly young! Too bad their doctor daughter/daughter in law, couldn’t time travel back to them to provide some medical tips, penicillin shots, tell them not to get in that car (book readers will know), and maybe slip them a note to preemptively murder any fellows named Blackjack Randall.

Slater’s credits include Pennyworth, Belgravia: The Next Chapter, Roy has been featured in Condor’s Nest, Flowers and Honey, Hermione Corfield in The Road Dance, We Hunt Together, and Irvine was in War Horse, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner of both series says, “We’re thrilled to be telling the stories of these two couples. 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 prequel series is also going to likely feature other younger versions of beloved characters, like Murtagh Fitzgibbons (Jamie’s godfather, who was very much in love with Jamie’s mother), Dougal and Colum MacKenzie (Jamie’s uncles who seem to really like to try and kill their nephew in the future, but also set him up with this cool English doctor chick, so, “forgiven.”) Who else will pop up? Ellen’s sister Jocasta? And how about Claire’s uncle Lamb, who raised her. Could one or both of Claire’s parents be time-travelers too? Most likely and only time will tell. The storylines between the two couples will be endless, and the best move to pique even more interest in watching the prequel. Jamie and Claire are equally beloved by the Outlander audience, and a show continuing keeping to keep them as the heart and center will no doubt help fill the void that will be left when Outlander ends. There are going to be some big empty hearts to fill, and focusing on both Jamie and Claire’s parents’ back stories is one way to do that.

This summer will mark Outlander’s 10^th anniversary, and the second half of season 7 will air later this year. Filming will begin soon on their final and eighth season which has been confirmed for 10 episodes.

Now for those hoping Heughan and Balfe will be in the new show, that would require really going back in time, considering Jamie and Claire weren’t even born yet. Now as we’ve seen over seven seasons of Outlander, Heughan and Balfe have skillfully played their characters from their late 20s to early 60s. But no matter how good Jamie Fraser’s wig is, even Heughan can’t play a tiny wee baby, or bairn, as those crazy Scottish kids say.

Both Outlander and Outlander: Blood of My Blood will be airing on Starz. For those who can’t wait for the second half of season 7 to air, there’s plenty of time to re-watch the entire series, and pay attention to Claire and Jamie’s stories about their parents in the wedding episode in season 1. You know, the episode you’ve watched on repeat. You have, don’t deny it. Jamie, Claire, Brian, Ellen, Julia and Henry, the Outlander fam keeps on getting bigger.

Before you go, check out the all-time best ‘Outlander’ episodes you need to watch.

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