Outlander fans can mark their calendars: Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the upcoming prequel series from Starz, is officially set to premiere on Friday, August 8. The announcement comes alongside two newly released posters spotlighting the show’s central couples – check them out below.
Episodes will roll out weekly on Fridays following the premiere. The series traces the early lives and parallel love stories of Jamie Fraser’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), and Claire’s parents, Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine).
According to Starz, the story “brings viewers from the war-torn battlefields of WWI to the sweeping Highlands of 18th century Scotland, promising two new love stories filled with loyalty, passion and desire, as the young couples defy the forces that seek to tear them apart.”
Told across two eras, Blood of My Blood promises to offer deeper insight into the lives of characters only glimpsed or referenced in the original series. While Jamie’s lineage has featured in Outlander lore before, Claire’s family history remains largely unexplored, giving this prequel room to forge new emotional ground.
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Harriet Slater, who plays Ellen MacKenzie, previously told Radio Times that the series feels like “two period dramas at once.” A self-described fan of the genre, she said, “Going on set each day is like travelling back in time. You’re on location and everyone just looks like an 18th-century highlander – it’s amazing.”
Despite the challenges of filming in the rugged Scottish landscape, Slater said the experience has been unforgettable. “We’re battered by the elements, but it’s very good at making you feel very immersed in the world that you’re in,” she shared. “I’m a huge castle nerd, so looking around some of the places we’ve been to has been a treat.”
Though the series connects to the flagship show, Slater noted that it stands confidently on its own. “We have the same team as Outlander and we film in the same building, but aside from that, our paths don’t really cross much at all,” she said, adding, “It feels very much like its own thing.”
The ensemble cast also includes Tony Curran as Simon Fraser, Séamus McLean Ross as Colum MacKenzie, Sam Retford as Dougal MacKenzie, Rory Alexander as Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, Conor MacNeill as Ned Gowan, and Sadhbh Malin as Jocasta Cameron.
Matthew B. Roberts returns as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, and Jim Kohlberg. The series is produced by Tall Ship Productions, No Fooling Productions Inc., Story Mining & Supply Company, and Sony Pictures Television.
