Outlander Behind-The-Scenes Feature Takes You To 18th Century Scotland
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You know what we don’t have nearly enough of on television? Time-travelling period romances. Starz is going to do their best to rectify that situation this summer when the premium cable player debuts their adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s hugely popular Outlander novels, produced and overseen by Battlestar Galactica and Helix vet Ronald D. Moore. To get you in the mood, the network has released this new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming series.
When we talk about these books being popular and beloved, that’s a bit of an understatement. There are more than 20 million copies in print, in dozens of languages. People love the shit out of these books. According to Moore in this video, their aim is not to tear them apart and change them, but to honor them and try to bring the truest version of this story to the screen. For her part, Gabaldon sounds rather pleased with the way things have come together, praising the show for telling her story, but at the same time doing something new and uniquely its own.
This video does a solid job of laying out the story for those of you who may not be familiar with the narrative. On her honeymoon with her husband Frank (Tobias Menzies) in 1945, World War II nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) manages to fall through time, tumbling back 200 years and landing in the Scottish Highlands. Once there, she has to acclimate to her new surroundings or die, so adapt she does, and we watch the action unfold through her eyes. Given the state of medical technology, or lack thereof, her skills come in handy on the regular, and eventually Claire starts a steamy romance with Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a young warrior with mussed-up hair and washboard abs.
If nothing else, Outlander promises to be a fantastic-looking show. Filmed on location in Scotland, the production makes full use of the gorgeous, stunning backgrounds. The story also brings the rich history of the region into play. You also get a good look at the detailed costumes and massive, intricately constructed sets. All of this should serve to immerse fans in the world and create a sense of completion. As Moore says, the ultimate goal is to make you believe to that this actually happened to this woman, and at least in that regard, they off to a good start.
Outlander premieres on Starz on August 9, which happens to be a Saturday. Given that every new show seems to be slated for a Sunday timeslot, it’ll be nice to have something to watch on the other nights of the week.
