Just a few minutes ago, Starz announced some of the new – and returning – cast we’ll see in Outlander‘s upcoming Season 7! Here’s a rundown:
- Graham McTavish returns as Dougal. This may be associated with a time travel storyline.
- Steven Cree returns as Ian Murray Sr. Book readers will remember some particularly emotional scenes between Jamie and Ian….
- Andrew Whipp will be back, again likely in the time travel storyline, as “Black Brian” Fraser, Jamie’s father.
- Nell Hudson shows up again as Laoghaire, Jamie’s former embattled wife, and mother of Marsali.
- We’ll see a more grownup Joanie, Marsali’s sister, as Layla Burns continues in the role.
- And finally, Lotte Verbeek comes back as Geillis Duncan, the bad penny that keeps turning up. This, again, may be part of the time travel story.
New actors join the cast! Some will be in roles we haven’t seen yet – and two notable recastings will turn up.
- Kristin Atherton, from Shakespeare & Hathaway, will take over the role of Jenny Murray, Jamie’s sister.
- Diarmid Murtagh, seen in Vikings, will play Buck MacKenzie, Dougal and Geillis’ illegitimate son. In Season 5, Graham McTavish played this role.
- Gloria Obianyo, from the recent film Dune, will play Mercy Woodcock, whom Claire meets shortly after the being jailed in the final episode of Season 6. Mercy is described as “a free Black woman navigating the hardships of life in Colonial America.”
- Historic figure Benedict Arnold shows up, played by Rod Hallett of The Last Kingdom.
- We’ve been anticipating another time-travel story, and looks like it’s coming – Chris Fulton from Bridgerton will play Rob Cameron, a “new acquaintance” of Roger and Brianna.
Of course, several notable roles have already been announced:
- Charles Vandervaart will play William Ransom, the third actor to take on this role as the character grows up. William is Jamie’s illegitimate child with Geneva Ransom.
- Izzy Meikle-Small will join the cast as Rachel Hunter, and Joey Phillips will play her brother Denzell. The Hunters are Quakers, and we can anticipate that they, along with William, will be part of the story for quite a while.
“One of the many joys of our epic story is the element of time travel which allows us to revisit some of our favorite characters in different times and places, and we’re thrilled to welcome back so many familiar faces for season seven,” says Matt Roberts, showrunner, writer and executive producer. “In addition to our returning cast, we’re also excited to welcome several new actors to the Outlander family and cannot wait to introduce them to fans in our extended season.”
There has been no date announced for the beginning of Season 7, but as they are still filming, and the season will be 16 episodes, I think we can assume we won’t see anything before 2023. Season 1 had a several-week break between season halves, and there is a possibility that Starz will do the same for Season 7, so that the season can begin sooner than it might if they have to finish all 16 episodes. We also don’t have any info on a renewal for Season 8, which, of course, is making us all crazy!
You can watch Outlander with a subscription to either the cable network or the Starz app,, and seasons 1-5 are available on Netflix.
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