There may be another long “droughtlander” on the horizon. Outlander executive producer Maril Davis revealed that Outlander Season 8, its final season, has been delayed by the WGA writers strike.
At the Outlander Season 7 world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, June 9, in New York City, Davis revealed to the audience of cast, press, and fans that Outlander Season 8 had convened its writers room before the WGA writers strike began. It’s now on pause in solidarity with the WGA.
The comment came during the Outlander Season 7 premiere panel, moderated by ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee. Knowing that Season 8 would be Outlander‘s last, Zee asked what kind of pressure that applies to Season 7 and the creative team.
“I feel pressure for Season 8,” said Davis, while seated next to stars Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, and Richard Rankin. “I think the writers — and shout out to the writers, because we miss them. [We] stand in solidarity. I know Matt [Roberts, showrunner and EP] wanted to be here. But of course we feel pressure for the last season. Obviously, we want to stick the landing. And we want to do right by everyone, and right by Diana and the fans, and there’s a little bit of pressure. We’ve been in the writers room until the writers strike started, so yeah, I feel it.”
Davis did not comment on the strike beyond that. But Outlander joins the long list of shows on pause due to the strike, now in its seventh week.
Outlander Season 7 debuts on Starz on Friday, June 16, at 8/7c. It will have a total of 16 episodes — making for the longest season since its first in 2014 — but it will be split into two parts. Part 2 is set to premiere sometime in 2024. An exact release date will be announced at a later time.
Outlander Season 8’s release date is also up in the air. Starz did not disclose an expected release window when announcing the Season 8 (and final) renewal in January 2023, but it did confirm the last installment will consist of 10 episodes.
With all pre-production seemingly on pause until the strike is over, it seems there could be a longer wait to see Jamie and Claire’s time-traveling journey come to an end.
Outlander Season 7 Premiere, Friday, June 16, 8/7c, Starz
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
