Production on the upcoming 7th season of the critically acclaimed show Outlander has begun in Scotland, and STARZ has recently released many casting announcements sure to please the show’s devoted fanbase. The network has confirmed not just the addition of two new actors to the cast for the forthcoming season, but also the return of many already established characters, including series regulars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.
The Outlander television series is based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series of the same name.
The show follows Claire (Balfe), a nurse from World War II, as she travels through time to 1743 Scotland and experiences a new life there. She meets and falls for Jamie Fraser (Heughan), a Highland warrior, and soon finds herself in the midst of the Jacobite rising, the real-life effort by Charles Edward Stuart to steal the British Throne with the support of the Scottish and the French. Gloria Obianyo, Rod Hallett, Chris Fulton, Diarmaid Murtagh, and Kristin Atherton are the new cast members for the forthcoming season. Dune star Obianyo is joining the cast in the role of Mercy Woodcock, a free Black woman living in Colonial America. Hallett will portray Benedict Arnold, an infamous traitor in American history. Fulton’s character, Rob Cameron, is an ally of the protagonists’ who will soon join their ranks. Murtagh, a former star of Vikings, will play “Buck MacKenzie,” Dougal
MacKenzie’s illegitimate son. Jenny Murray and Jamie Fraser (Heughansister, )’s will be played by Atherton after three seasons by Laura Donnelly. Numerous series regulars are making comebacks this season after lengthy absences. True fans of the show may find a few of the names to be strange because they belong to deceased characters. The other items all seem to be from Fraser’s family members, suggesting a potential get-together. Graham McTavish, Nell Hudson, Steven Cree, Andrew Whipp, Layla Burns, and Lotte Verbeek are all confirmed to return for Season 7 of the show. Starring in the third season of the HBO series House of the Dragon is actor Graham McTavish, who played the war chieftain “Dougal MacKenzie” in the first two seasons.
In addition, he played the character’s illegitimate son for a short time in Season 5; however, as was previously announced, Murtagh will now be playing that part. Once again, Hudson will play “Laoghaire Fraser,” Jamie’s ex-wife, after having done so for the first four seasons. In the fifth season, Cree will reprise his role as “Old Ian Murray,” Jamie’s brother-in-law who appeared in the first four. Whipp is coming back as “Brian Fraser,” Jamie’s father who was just in a few episodes of the first season before his character died. Burns, who previously played Jaime’s stepdaughter “Joan MacKimmie” in seasons three and four, returns back in the role. Finally, Verbeek, who played the villain “Geillis Duncan” for the first three seasons, is coming back for more.
Showrunner, writer, and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts had this to say about the new cast members: “We are pleased to bring back so many beloved faces for season seven, and that is one of the many pleasures of our epic story—the aspect of time travel that allows us to revisit some of our favourite characters in different time periods and locations. We are thrilled to welcome numerous new performers to the “Outlander” family and look forward to introducing them to fans in our extended season.