New 'Outlander' Prequel Casting Reveals Which Popular Characters Will Live On In the Past & Future

As production continues on the eighth and final season of Outlander, starring Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan, even more popular characters are being cast on the prequel, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Based upon the concurrent love stories of both sets of parents of Jamie and Claire Fraser, the prequel has already cast many fan-favorite characters from the flagship show. The show goes back in time, even more so than Outlander, and will show fans how Jamie’s parents fell in love in Scotland in the 1700s, and how Claire’s parents found each other in the 1900s. Don’t try and do time math on it, it will just make your head hurt, and knowing the Outlander brand, it will also make your heart hurt, but in a good way. As Outlander fans know, the show loves a tragic love story, and Jamie’s parents and Claire’s parents all unfortunately die fairly young. The newest casting welcomes 5 characters, including fan-favorites Mrs. Fitz, Arch Bug, and Jocasta Cameron. Plus, new characters Janet MacKenzie, Lizbeth and Private Charlton. Find out how the prequel is weaving them into the story below.

Heughan and Balfe both spoke about the prequel show in recent interviews. They also both confessed they’re emotional about the bittersweet ending of their show, that they’ve been filming for 10 years. Balfe revealed there were tears at their first table read, and Heughan admitted that when he heard bagpipes playing the show theme song, he also shed some tears.

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Meanwhile at the IFTA awards, for which Balfe was nominated as Best Actress in a Drama series, she told VIP Magazine, “I don’t even know what’s happening in the end (of Outlander), they’re keeping it very top secret. What we do know though is that you can never please everybody, but we all just hope that they (the writers) make what they believe is the best version, and we have to hope people aren’t too upset.” She then quips with a smile, “But they’re going to get a prequel, so the audience will forget about us very quickly.” Balfe knows Outlander fans never forget.

Heughan told fans at Landcon in France, “If you love Outlander, you’re going to love Blood of My Blood. I’m really excited about this show. There is so much to look forward to. This show, I can’t give anything away, but I’m going to be the biggest fan.”

Kicking off the new casting is Sally Messham as Mrs. Fitz, short for Fitzgibbons, who also happens to be one of the most beloved characters from season 1 of Outlander, originated by the brilliant Annette Badland. Many will remember Mrs. Fitz as a superfan of Jamie and Claire, and also granddaughter to Jamie and Claire’s not-so-superfan Laoghaire. She begins her journey in the prequel as Jamie’s mother, Ellen’s maid at Castle Leoch, and Murtagh’s aunt. Wait a minute! Wouldn’t that make Laoghaire related to Murtagh?! Hmmm. What in the name of Diana Gabaldon, did we know this before?!

Terence Rae will be playing Arch Bug, originally played by Hugh Ross. In current Outlander time, aka Season 7, Arch Bug is a rage-filled widow hunting Ian and his little dog too. And in the mid-season finale, Arch has found Ian’s love interest Rachel and Rollo galloping through the woods. Okay, to be clear, Rachel was not riding Rollo like a horse. In the prequel, Rae’s Bug is working as a bodyguard to Clan Grant. New clan, who dat?

Sadhbh Malin will take on the role of Jocasta Cameron, Jamie’s aunt, played on Outlander by the talented Maria Doyle Kennedy, who just took home an IFTA award. In the prequel, she is Ellen’s younger sister, and hailed as “the feisty youngest child of the MacKenzie clan.”

Alisa Davidson joins as Janet MacKenzie, Jocasta, Ellen, Dougal and Colum’s sister, who never appeared in Outlander, so one can guess she may have died before Jamie and Claire’s love story “rocked” Scotland.

Annabelle Dowler joins as Lizbeth, Claire’s mother Julia’s boss at the War Department, and Harry Eaton joins as Private Charlton, Claire’s father’s fellow soldier and friend.

The second half of Outlander season 7 will air in November 2024. Fans are anxiously awaiting the exact date. While you wait, get your Outlander fix by re-watching season 1 through part one of season 7 on Starz. Check out our interviews with Balfe and Heughan, Sophie Skelton, John Bell, Maril Davis, Annette Badland, Steven Cree, and more!

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

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