Kathleen Nutt
THE Hollywood mogul behind the Scottish filmed historical science fiction series Outlander has revealed plans to turn it into a TV series for at least the next decade.
Outlander, which is shot in Cumbernauld, Fife, Perthshire and South Queensferry, is based on Diana Gabaldan’s novels, is already returning to the small screen for a third season.
In an interview with Historic Scotland magazine, executive producer and showrunner Ron Moore said he hopes to base a season of the drama every year on each of Gabaldan’s books, currently standing at eight.
“Things change but our hope is that things will continue and ideally we’ll be doing all the books in the series and there are eight of them so far,” he told the latest edition of Historic Scotland magazine.
Read more: Outlander author Diana Gabaldon - on a third series, the end of the saga, and a prequel
The 51-year-old Californian, who was also behind the TV remake of Battlestar Galactica, shot season one and two of Outlander in Scotland, which it is estimated helped to add £20 million to the economy. Mr Moore, who now commutes between Los Angeles and Perthshire, starts shooting the third season in Scotland this autumn.
He made the comments in a magazine interview during which he and his wife Terry Dresbach, the show’s costume designer, discuss the drama, their future ambitions and their life in Scotland.
Mr Moore said he turned to the Outlander books on Dresbach’s recommendation.
He added: “I was looking for a project as a follow on after Battlestar Galactica was winding down. We were talking about other projects and Terry said I would love these books, as I like history and historical fiction and a female lead character.”
Read more: Sam Heughan tells Outlander fans they can expect lots of surprises
“So Terry said I should read these books and I read them, thought it was good story, a page turner, lots of unexpected twists and turns and I really liked the central character...By the time I got to the end I thought this is a year of a television show, this could be a series. We could do a series every year. I just got it.”
Made by Sony Pictures, Outlander is set in 1740s Highland Scotland in the run up to the Jacobite rebellion. It is broadcast in the UK on the Amazon Prime streaming service and in the US on the cable channel Starz. The first season was shown last year and the second is being broadcast currently.
The Outlander of the title is Claire Randall, played by Irish actress Caitriona Balfe, an English nurse transported from post war 1945 to 18th century Scotland while on holiday with her husband Frank, played by Tobias Menzies. In her new life she meets Jacobite fighter Jamie Fraser, played by Dumfriesshire born actor Sam Heughan.
Read more: Outlander author Diana Gabaldon added to new Scottish book festival
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