Season 7 of popular historical drama Outlander is on the horizon, but I'd be remiss if I didn't note the Starz network has also been working on a long-awaited Outlander spinoff as well. New details recently emerged about Outlander: Blood of My Blood, and now author Diana Gabaldon is clarifying her role in the series.
When Outlander: Blood of My Blood was first announced, Diana Gabaldon was mentioned to be a "consulting producer" on the drama. It was unknown at the time what capacity she would be involved in the series, but the author has taken to Facebook to talk about how she learned about the role and what she knows about the series. She wrote:
Well....THIS is interesting... Note that I have no idea what a 'Consulting Producer' is, and no one has talked to me about being one. This doesn't mean that I won't be involved with the show, but I have no details at the moment. Yes, I _am_ writing Brian and Ellen's story. I have no idea what the timing of the show might be, or to what extent the show-runners plan to use the book (insofar as it exists by that point). "In development" is not the same thing as being green-lit; it just means they're starting to put together the pieces.
Gabaldon also noted she mentioned it because she felt as if "everyone would be wanting to know about it." She's probably not wrong.
Outlander fans should be very familiar with Diana Gabaldon’s work, as the Starz series wouldn’t even exist without her. She has written nine novels so far, many of which have played out fairly faithfully (with some changes from the books) on TV. A tenth Outlander book is in the works. She's often seen on press tours for Outlander as well, so people are likely interested in what she may or may not be doing for this prequel/spinoff.
The series feels a little similar to the upcoming Supernatural prequel, The Winchesters, which follows the love story and origin of Sam and Dean’s parents. In this case, the spinoff will follow a similar plotline, about Jamie Fraser's parents, the aforementioned Brian and Ellen. For TV, Blood of My Blood is going to be written by Matthew B. Roberts for the cable network.
A spinoff of Outlander has been much anticipated for a few years now. Back in 2018, ahead of the fourth season, Gabaldon spoke out about interest in an Outlander spinoff. Although nothing happened for a while, it seems like we are finally on track to getting that series. Fingers crossed it gets picked up!
Meanwhile, as the network works on Blood of My Blood, Outlander's Season 7 cast is picking up with new members. Earlier this summer, it was announced that Izzy Meikle-Small and Joey Phillips were cast as siblings Rachel Hunter and Dr. Denzell Hunter. Although a premiere date has yet to be set for the upcoming season, series lead Sam Heughan did reveal that Season 7 will pick up not long after the season finale cliffhanger, and new details keep trickling down.
As of now, Outlander: Blood of My Blood is only in the development stage on Starz, meaning that it could be a while until we find out whether or not we’ll actually get the love story of Jamie’s parents on our TVs. Though fans have been waiting even longer for a spinoff, they can surely wait a little bit more. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to!
