“Outlander” moves from Scotland to France for Season 2, and during the show’s first San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday, the cast and creators also shared a bit of news: Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the best-selling books on which the hit Starz series is based, will be writing an episode.
Gabaldon, who made a cameo appearance in Season 1, said she is not expecting to appear on screen again, though she is enjoying writing an episode.
“Outlander” follows Claire (Caitriona Balfe), a 1940s nurse who accidentally time-travels to 18th-century Scotland, where she marries and falls for Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
After a tumultuous first season, the couple are now expecting a baby and have left the dangers of Scotland for France, where Season 2 will take place.
During the panel, the cast, Gabaldon and series showrunner Ronald D. Moore, along with executive producer Maril Davis, teased what to expect in the second season and the challenges for the production in moving from one exotic, epic locale to another.
Davis was particularly effusive of the new Season 2 cast members, including Dominique Pinon as Master Raymond, Laurence Dobiesz as Alex Randall and Frances de la Tour as Mother Hildegarde, prompting Balfe to joke, “Are you saying they’re better than us?”
The panel also revealed the street date for the Season 1 DVD of “Outlander,” as well as the gag reel which will be part of the disc. The set also promises a new cut of Episode 109, the mid-season premiere which primarily focused on Heughan’s character, Jamie, after Claire ran away and was captured by Red Coats.
Season 2 begins as Claire and Jamie arrive in France, hellbent on infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion led by Prince Charles Stuart, and stopping the battle of Culloden. With the help of his cousin Jared (Robert Cavanah), a local wine merchant, Jamie and Claire are thrown into the lavish world of French society, where intrigue and parties are abundant but political gain proves far more elusive.
“Outlander” is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Story Mining & Supply Company and Left Bank Pictures, in association with Sony Pictures Television.
But just because they are in France, doesn’t mean Jamie’s Scottish roots will disappear. Heughan confirmed during the panel that Jamie will continue to wear kilts in Season 2.