Outlander author says final season "won't resemble the end of the book series"
The beloved fantasy drama series will wrap up with its final run next year.
Outlander will wrap up for good with its eighth and final season next year, when fans will say goodbye to Sam Heguhan's Jamie Fraser and Caitríona Balfe's Claire Fraser for the last time.
The hugely popular fantasy drama – which is currently airing the second half of its penultimate run – is getting a new prequel series titled Blood of My Blood, but fans will no doubt be feeling a little emotional about the main series coming to an end in the not-so-distant future.
Now author Diana Gabaldon, on whose books the series is based, has warned viewers not to expect a final season that closely matches what will happen at the end of her novels.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Responding to a fan question on her Facebook page, she explained: "There's only so much I can say about the show, but what I can say is that it really won't resemble the end of the book series.
"Coming into Season 8, the show-runners have/had only ten episodes (rather than the sixteen, say, in Season One)--and material from THREE WHOLE BOOKS to fit into that. Season 7 ends (roughly) with AN ECHO IN THE BONE, leaving WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD, GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, and BOOK TEN almost untouched."
More like this
She continued: "Now, in normal circumstances – one book per season – they can fit roughly 10% of the book's content into the show. How much of the (VERY roughly speaking) 1,200,000 words of those three books do you think they can get into ten hours of television?
"Obviously, they're going to have to cherry-pick some prime scenes/threads to film, and try to fit them into a framework that makes sense for one season, and that they can bring to a reasonably satisfactory conclusion."
Read more:
- Carol Vorderman calls out "responsibility" of TV industry to tackle division and inequality
- Rings of Power bosses tease 'most ambitious battle in TV history' in season 2
Gabaldon further commended that since she was "unhampered by space considerations" she has a lot more leeway to flesh out the story, and that subsequently the tenth novel "will contain a LOT of stuff that the show simply can't."
But she added: "I hope y'all will enjoy them both!"
Gabadlon is currently still writing the as-yet-untitled 10th novel, which will follow 2021's Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone in a series that began with the first novel way back in 1991.
But in a separate Facebook comment she explained that she had given the creative team behind the Outlander TV series "a synopsis and pieces for dialogue" to help them craft the final season, while reiterating that "there's just not room to do anything like a replica of any of the books."
Outlander is available to stream on Starz in the US and on MGM+ in the UK. You can buy Diana Gabaldon's books on Amazon.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
