The press release, direct from HERSELF, Diana Gabaldon:
IT’S OFFICIAL!
SAM HEUGHAN CAST AS JAMIE FRASER IN STARZ & SONY PICTURES TV’S “OUTLANDER”
New Original Series Based on Diana Gabaldon’s International Best-Selling Novels
From “Battlestar Galactica” Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore
Beverly Hills, Calif., July 9, 2013 – Starz in association with Sony Pictures Television has announced today that Sam Heughan will play the role of Jamie Fraser in the original series “Outlander,” adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling books, which will premiere on STARZ in 2014. The chivalrous young Scottish warrior, Jamie Fraser, has been adored worldwide by fans of the seven-book series that has sold more than 20 million copies and has graced the New York Times best-sellers list six times.
Diana Gabaldon said, “Oh. My. God. That man is a Scot to the bone and Jamie Fraser to the heart. Having seen Sam Heughan not just act, but be Jamie, I feel immensely grateful to the production team for their painstaking attention to the soul of the story and characters."
"From the very beginning, I knew the part of Jamie Fraser would be difficult to cast,” said Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore. “I had no one in mind for the part. I knew that someone would just come into the audition and be Jamie Fraser. And that's what Sam did."
In “Outlander,” Jamie Fraser strikes up a passionate affair with Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743. Armed with sheer grit and enduring strength, he is a strapping young Scottish clan lord with a complicated past and a disarming sense of humor. He is intelligent, principled, and, by 18th century standards, educated and worldly, with a tenderness and compassion that stands out in contrast to his contemporaries. A natural leader of men, he has no political ambitions or desire for battlefield glories. Instead, he wishes to remove the price on his head and return to his family’s ancestral farm.
Sam Heughan is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he was a 2003 nominee for the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performance for his work in the program. Last year, he originated the role of Batman in the DC/Warner Brothers and Waterlane production of "Batman Live," an international tour which opened at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and went on to tour in South America and throughout Europe. In 2010, he was nominated for a British Soap Award for “Villain of the Year” for his role as Scott Neilson in the BBC soap opera "Doctors." He has also had roles in a range of television series including, "River City," "Island at War," "The Wild West," "Midsomer Murders," and, most recently, "Any Human Heart" as Lieutenant McStay. His TV movie credits include, "Breaking the Mould" for BBC Television, "A Very British Sex Scandal" for Channel 4 and "First Light" for BBC2. He was nominated for a "Grace award" for his performance as Prince Ashton, the son of Sir Roger Moore, in “A Princess for Christmas” for Hallmark Channel. His film credits include the short film Small Moments, and the feature films Alexander the Great from Macedonia and Emulsion. He will also be seen in the upcoming film Heart of Lightness. On stage, Heughan has performed at a variety of theatres in such productions as “King John,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Vortex,” “Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and more. At the Royal Scottish Academy, Heughan starred in productions including “Crime & Punishment,” “The Seagull,” and “Prometheus Bound.” He is repped by United Talent Agency in the US and United Agents in the UK.
The series adaptation for “Outlander” will be written by Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). Ronald D. Moore and Jim Kohlberg are executive producers of “Outlander,” which is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Story Mining & Supply Company and Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television.
The series will begin filming in Scotland this fall.
“Outlander” Online
Facebook: www.facebook.com/outlandertvseries.starz
Twitter: @Outlander_Starz - join the conversation with #Outlander and #STARZ
This makes me happy. I think he'll be a great Jamie!!!!
ReplyDeleteNow on to Claire...
ReplyDeleteAfter Diana was celebrating him wildly for the whole weekend I was sure that she knew something we didn't (in fact that Sam was definately going to be Jamie, but it just wasn't official yet). Would she have done so if there would have been another possible candidate for Jamie? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the whole "accidental" leak was just a trick to find out how the fanbase is feeling about Sam and also to prepare them for what would be coming. And honestly, I am grateful for this gentle introduction. I can appreciate and accept Sam much more than I probably would have if they would just have said BAM! this is Jamie, deal with it. The whole cyber-stalking during the weekend helped me warming up to him and not wanting sb else for Jamie now that I knew Sam.
I think though that they couldn't have cast Jamie any better. I mean, Sam's got pretty much everything that the actor for Jamie needs and I can't wait to see him standing somewhere in the Highlands, wearing a kilt and ginger hair, raising a rugged eyebrow and casting a disarming smile :)
sigh....I have always had my own picture of Jamie in my head and this comes just about as close to him as possible! I can't wait to see how he will look in full costume.
ReplyDeleteBeyond excited!!! So happy to have found this blog, too, because I can already see that my husband is over listening to me discussing Jamie and the upcoming series. I need to surround myself with other people who care :)
ReplyDeleteDo we know ANYTHING about the ret of the cast? Claire??
ReplyDeleteAre the same people casting Claire?
ReplyDelete