The Hollywood Reporter has officially confirmed that Starz will be the new home for the television adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’ series. At the helm is famed Sci-Fi rejuvenator Ronald D. Moore, who is possibly best known for executive producing and developing the 2004 ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series, although he’s also had his hand in various ‘Star Trek’ properties as well as the ‘BG’ spinoff ‘Caprica.’
Part historical fiction, part fantasy, part sexytimes, the ‘Outlander’ series begins in 1945. Claire Randall travels to Scotland with her husband Frank, partly for some research into his Scottish heritage, but mostly as a second honeymoon. Although the couple seem to love each other, the vacation seems an attempt to bring the spark back into their relationship lost in part due to their inability to conceive a child. Wandering the beautiful Scottish landscape, Claire comes across some mystical stones that cause her to become disoriented and pass out. When she wakes up, the year is 1743, and she’s appeared in the midst of bloody Scottish clan wars. It’s here she finds a young warrior named Jamie, and she’s torn between cheating on her husband and agreeing with the age-old saying that, as long as you’re in different centuries, adultery doesn’t technically count.
Airing on the Starz network gives greater opportunity for adult language, violence, and nudity, as seen in other Starz series like ‘Spartacus’ and now ‘Da Vinci’s Demons.’ We probably don’t need to hint that the success of such shows as ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘The Borgias,’ and ‘Spartacus,’ while also brilliantly written, likely get an automatic boost in viewership due to the relaxed constraints of adult themes on their respective premium cable channels, and ‘Outlander’ seems fit to be no different.
Have you read the books, or are you a fan of Ronald D. Moore? What are your thoughts for the upcoming series?
