Outlander producer teases "surprises" for season 8
Although the period of Droughtlander is upon us, there's more exciting things to come.
It may be the time of the week when you'd expect a brand new episode of Outlander to land on Lionsgate+, but after last week's mid-season finale, fans will just have to bide their time until the series returns in 2024.
The new batch of season 7 episodes is yet to get a confirmed release date, but if the twists of the season are anything to go by so far, we're in for a wild ride.
It'll be the penultimate season before the hit historical fantasy series wraps up for good and fans have never been more keen to know just how Outlander will end.
The series is, of course, based on Diana Gabaldon's acclaimed book series, but with Gabaldon still working on her tenth and final Outlander novel, what does that mean for the ending of the TV series?
Well, RadioTimes.com posed the question of how the series will wrap up in light of the lack Outlander's final book to executive producer Maril Davis. She revealed: “We’ve talked to Diana a bit. Once we figure out how the actual ending is going to be – which we don’t totally have yet – I think we’ll run it by her and make sure she’s OK with it."
She continued: "I’ve asked her about things that we want to do to make sure she’s OK. The last thing we want to do is step on Diana’s toes, she’s been so lovely and supportive of this series and so thrilled with how it’s gone. We want to repay her and be respectful of her, do her books justice.
"But also, she’s always felt like the books are hers and the show is something different and I love that about her, she gives us that freedom also to take chances and risks and do things slightly differently."
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Davis concluded: "We will of course run things by her, it will have to be slightly different, obviously, because she’s ending it and she hasn’t figured that out yet - what that it is - and we’re going to have to end the TV show. I’m excited about it but we have a few surprises up our sleeve.”
So while many Outlander TV series fans are avid fans of the novels, that's not to say that the endings will correlate in any way. So really, all bets are truly off going into season 8 after all.
Davis also revealed: "It’s tough because we’re not finishing the book series, obviously there’s one more book. It's tough to wrap it up before the books have wrapped. There’s so many things to track and figure out, we want a satisfying ending that’s not Diana’s ending obviously."
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With a loyal fan base and avid viewers expecting to see what will happen to Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe), does Davis feel any pressure?
She commented: “I feel pressure every day. Obviously we’re in a writer’s strike and an actor’s strike and it’s been really difficult, everything’s been put on hold. But I feel that pressure daily."
But even so, Davis remarked: "I think about it a lot, I think we’re going to do a great job and I have complete confidence in the writers, but we’ll see what happens. I’m really confident we’ll figure out a way to end it for ourselves.
"Once again, it won’t be Diana’s ending because she’s still writing it but it will be a satisfying ending for us, for the show. It’s sad regardless, it’s very bittersweet but I’m really excited about it.”
The season 7 mid-season finale left off on a hopeful note for Jamie, Claire and Ian (John Bell), who returned to Scotland once again, but things didn't look as rosy for Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton), who were torn apart due to the kidnapping of their young son Jemmy.
With Roger and Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) having travelled back in time to the 1700s and Brianna left in '80s Scotland, will the pair ever be reunited? And in even more dire thoughts, will Roger manage to find Jemmy and rescue him from Brianna's supposed friend Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton)?
We'll just have to wait and see, but the recently released season 7 part 2 trailer (which you can watch above) teases plenty more action in store as Roger finds Jemmy's scarf and Claire and Jamie reckon with a new life back in Scotland.
As Jamie can be heard saying in the trailer, "a storm is coming" – that it is!
Outlander is available to stream on Starz in the US and on Lionsgate+ in the UK. You can buy Diana Gabaldon's books on Amazon.
If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.
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