Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser on Outlander, reveals that he knows how the story will end. Based on the ongoing novels of the same name, Outlander is a historical drama that made its Starz premiere in August 2014. The series began by introducing viewers to Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe), a married former military nurse of the Second World War. When she’s transported back in time to 1743, she falls in love with the Highland warrior Jamie. The adaptation, developed for television for Ronald D. Moore, has received consistent praise throughout its run and maintained a focus on the central couple.
It was announced back in November of last year that Outlander season 6 would premiere on March 6, 2022 across all Starz platforms. Returning with an extended episode, the historical drama will air in the UK on the same day-and-date via STARZPLAY. Given that the last installment of Outlander wrapped up in May of 2020, it will be almost two years since viewers last saw Claire and Jamie. But for his part, Heughan already knows the details for how it’s all supposed to end.
In an interview on The Tonight Show to promote the return of Outlander, Heughan told host Jimmy Fallon that he has all the information on how the story will conclude in his e-mails. As the actor explained it, Diana Gabaldon – the author of the Outlander books – already told him about the ending a long time ago. Heughan did note that, nonetheless, the series still has some years left before arriving at its last stop. Read Fallon and Heughan's exchange below:
HEUGHAN: “Diana Gabaldon, thank you, Diana. She’s written this amazing series. She’s on book 10, we’re about to do book seven in season seven so we’ve still got a bit of a way to go.”
FALLON: “Do you know how it ends?”
HEUGHAN: “I do, I know how it ends. She revealed to me the ending a long time ago, actually.”
FALLON: “So she’s written the ending but not written it. It’s in her head?”
HEUGHAN: “Yeah, it’s in her head and my email chain. Let’s hope I don’t get hacked.”
Heughan does sound optimistic about the prospects of Outlander continuing for a good while yet, echoing the comments of his co-star Balfe. Though the Claire Randall actress noted that she isn’t aware whether the drama would return for an eighth installment, she added that for the whole story to be told in a way that would echo the books, it would take a full ten years. It is perhaps a positive sign for the future of Outlander that Starz recently announced a prequel series and considering the fact that the adaptation remains one of the network’s most popular titles overall, chances are good that fans will be able to see the intended farewell for Claire and Jamie.
Still, after a time-travel surprise in the previous season surrounding Bree (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin), there have been renewed questions about whether or not the adaptation should diverge even further from its source material. That could potentially allow for the series to reach the finish line on its own terms, without having to remain faithful to Gabaldon’s books that recently released its ninth volume. But for now, audiences can look forward to at least a few more seasons of Outlander.
Source: The Tonight Show