Outlander fans, the historical drama is far from over.
After nearly two years of waiting, the hit series is officially back in Starz with Season 6 along with Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and the rest of the residents of Fraser's Ridge. While the latest story unfolds in new episodes based on Diana Gabaldon's book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Variety reports that there is an Outlander prequel courtesy of showrunner Matthew B. Roberts.
According to the outlet, he will executive produce and write the Outlander prequel with the help of a writer's room, which is "set to begin work in the coming weeks." The exact plot and title of the show are being kept secret. But there may be two different routes the new show can go and be based on: 1) Diana's 2013 The Virgin prequel to a novel about a young Jamie and Ian in 1740s France 2) Jamie's mother Diana's prequel about the father which is still being written. That said, there has been no confirmation that the prequel TV series will be based on any of these stories.
Meanwhile, the upcoming prequel isn't the only thing fans can be excited about. About a year before the start of Season 6 of Outlander, STARZ renewed the show for Season 7 in March 2021. It will be based on Diana's book An Echo in the Bone and will consist of 12 episodes. "[We] look forward to giving fans another season of this exhilarating story," Matthews told TVLine at the time. As of now, actors Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin have been confirmed to return for it. Now people can wait for the seventh installment and prequel.
Currently, in Outlander Season 6, Claire and Jamie are living in the New World and settled in the British colonies. But like in the trailer of the new season, the pair will be forced to face the challenges of Revolutionary War. Although the sixth season will consist of only eight episodes - due to the coronavirus pandemic affecting production - there will still be a lot to see.
Per TVLine, the 90-minute Season 6 premiere of Outlander will return with flashbacks of "a painful period in a character's life" and "two characters seek relief from their problems, which means they probably shouldn't". If you haven't clicked on play yet, these details will surely lead you to the remote.