Season 6 ended on a massive cliffhanger, and Outlander season 7 updates like a new featurette indicate the story will likely cover a lot of ground. Based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series, Outlander season 6 covers much of her book A Breath of Snow and Ashes but Outlander season 6 had only eight episodes. The final chapters of the book along with Gabaldon’s seventh book, An Echo in the Bone, will now all be featured in Outlander season 7, which means audiences should prepare for an eventful ride.
The Outlander season 6 finale was an action-packed episode, with Claire and Jamie’s standoff against Richard Brown and the safety committee resulting in a massive shootout and witch hunt against Claire. With options limited, Claire agrees to stand trial and Tom Christie surfaces as her mysterious protector after she and Jamie are separated en route. Meanwhile, Brianna and Roger journey to Roger’s seminary school and discover a birthmark on Jemmie that finally confirms Roger as his true father. Yet, while much happened in the Outlander season 6 ending, readers of Diana Gabaldon’s books will know that what did not happen is far more interesting.
The Latest Outlander Season 7 News
The most recent Outlander season 7 updates arrive in the form of a featurette that was made available on the Stars Youtube page. In the featurette, the main actors of the show, including Sam Heughan (Jaime Fraser), Caitríona Balfe (Claire Fraser), and many others talk about how much bigger Outlander season 7 is compared to the other seasons and how excited they are to see the response from fans and to see how America reacts to the story. The interviews are intercut with typically ambitious-looking shots of that war that the show has been leading to for years.
Outlander Season 7 Release Date
The biggest news when it comes to Outlander season 7 updates is that the season will be split into two parts. After the last season of Outlander had only eight episodes — mostly thanks to the shutdown of production during the pandemic — the new season will be supersized. The news is that it won't end up dropping over 16 weeks on Starz. Instead, the show will get the first eight episodes out and then take a break before picking up and releasing the second eight in 2024.
In related Outlander season 7 updates, Diana Gabaldon revealed that the new season will be set in America, London, Canada, and Scotland, but, as is tradition for the show, filming will be primarily in Scotland. The official release date for the new season is June 16, 2023. The show will be split into two halves, with the first half having eight episodes. There is no word on when the second half of Outlander season 7 will air other than that it is planned for 2024.
Will Outlander Season 7 Be The Show’s Last?
Outlander season 7 will not be the last for the popular Starz show. Starz also renewed the series for season 8, which will be Outlander's last season. There are 11 novels in the Outlander series, so there is plenty of material for the show to cover from the source. While season 7 is set to cover the events of the novel An Echo In The Bone, there are still at least four more novels with information the season could use. The only information confirmed for season 8 of Outlander so far is that actress Catriona Balfe is set to direct an episode in the season. Outlander viewers won't have to say goodbye to Outlander's intriguing setting for long, as there will be a spinoff series called Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which will focus on Jamie's parents.
Outlander Season 7 Cast
The main two stars will be back, as Sam Heughan returns as Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser. Also returning for the series is Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie and Sophie Skelton as Brianna Mackenzie. Outlander season 7 updates reveal there was also a major recasting with Kristin Atherton taking on the role of Jenny Murray — Jamie's sister. Originally, Laura Donnelly played Jenny but scheduling conflicts ended her time on the show.
Graham McTavish returns as Dougal MacKenzie, Nell Hudson as Laoghaire Fraser, Steven Cree as the elder Ian Murray, Lotte Verbeek as Geillis Duncan, Andrew Whipp as Brian Fraser, and Layla Burns as Joan MacKimmmie. Additionally, Charles Vandervaart (Lost in Space) stars as William Ransom, Jamie’s grown son. Finally, also returning are John Bell (Young Ian), Lauren Lyle (Marsali), Cesar Domboy (Fergus), Caitlin O'Ryan (Lizzie), and David Berry (Lord John).
Outlander Season 7 Story Details
Outlander season 7 updates reveal the rest of Gabaldon’s sixth book and much of her seventh will be told in the upcoming season. The remainder of A Breath of Snow and Ashes includes the reappearance of Outlander's time-traveler Wendigo Donner and the devastating fire that originally brought Brianna back in time. Outlander season 7 will also likely see Claire stand trial for Malva’s murder and further explain Tom Christie’s mysterious protection of her. Brianna is currently pregnant, so the birth of Bree and Roger’s daughter, Amanda, is part of the story. Amanda’s heart condition will likely lead Bree and Roger to time-travel to the 20th century to save her.
With Bree and Roger’s return to the future, Gabaldon’s Echo in the Bone features multiple timelines, following both Brianna and Roger as they settle at modern-day Lallybroch and Claire and Jamie in the past as they journey back to Scotland to visit Jenny and Ian. Interestingly, Jamie’s son, William Ransom, now 19 years old and Earl of Ellesmere, will be a large part of the Outlander season 7 story, and viewers should expect Lord John, Fergus, and Marsali to take a larger role next season as well. Finally, America’s Revolutionary War officially begins on Outlander, lending even more drama and action.
In preparation for the debut of Outlander season 7 on Starz, the network began sharing sneak peeks on the upcoming season. The sneak peeks were originally shown at the ATX Festival. One includes Jamie and Claire discussing dreams of the past and the future, and it’s certain to whet the appetite of fans of the popular couple. If Starz releases any additional clips for the upcoming Outlander season, they’ll be available on the show’s social media accounts, or on the network’s YouTube account.
In the newest Outlander season 7 featurette uploaded to YouTube, the actors talk about how epic this season of the show will be. Heughan commented, "We have been talking about this war for a long time... It is really exciting to explore the genesis of what America, as it's known today, is." Balfe confirmed exactly how ambitious the Starz show will be in its seventh season, adding, "It's a big turning point in history." Regardless of where the character arcs go, the Outlander season 7 updates confirm that it'll be the most thrilling and exciting season yet, at least in terms of depicting that period of history.
Outlander Season 7 Trailer
Though a teaser trailer was released by Starz in December 2022, a new trailer was released in May 2023. The new trailer highlights just how big the American Revolution is for Outlander season 7. Multiple characters, including Jamie, are encouraged to take a side in the conflict between England and what will be the United States of America. It also highlights the trouble Claire has found herself in as the trailer cuts back and forth between Claire potentially being hanged and me in uniform preparing for battle. There is plenty of drama for Outlander season 7.