Starz‘s Outlander spinoff, Blood of My Blood, has begun filming in Scotland. Tony Curran will play Simon Fraser — 11th Lord Lovat and Jamie Fraser’s grandfather — in the period drama, and the Scottish actor tells TV Insider that the Blood of My Blood scripts are “juicy,” in addition to some other exciting plot details.
“I started shooting it last week in Scotland,” Curran tells TV Insider. He’s back in the U.K. now to promote Mary & George, premiering April 5 on Starz, but will soon return to set to continue filming the spinoff. The 10-episode series is based on Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire’s (Caitríona Balfe) parents and, as Curran reveals to us, will specifically take place in 1714 and 1914. Previously announced Blood of My Blood plot details just said it would be set the 18th-century Scottish Highlands and WWI England.
The Mayflies star says that the feel of the scripts is similar to what fans are used to in Outlander.
“The scripts I’ve read so far are really juicy and interesting, and there’s similar storylines and vibe of Outlander, but obviously it’s a different time,” Curran says, adding that there are “some wonderful actors” in the cast, like “the lovely Jamie Roy” as Brian Fraser, Jamie’s father. “I’m excited to be part of it,” he shares.
Simon Fraser is father to Brian. Brian and Ellen MacKenzie’s love story will be one of the two romances at the center of the series. Roy and Harriet Slater will play Jamie’s parents, with Jeremy Irvine and Hermione Corfield as Claire’s parents, Henry Beauchamp and Julia Moriston. As Curran jokes, “It’s very confusing, a lot of Jamies.” (The Jamies continue on the production side as well: Jamie Payne directs the pilot episode.)
In Outlander, the elder Simon Fraser was played by “an old friend of mine … Clive Russell,” Curran says. As leader of the Fraser Clan, Simon is “a bit of a Machiavellian character,” Curran shares. The character is based on a real-life Jacobite who was killed after the Battle of Culloden, depicted in Outlander Season 3.
“He himself was decapitated and apparently was one of the last men to be executed in the United Kingdom in 1746 after the Battle of Culloden,” Curran says (Fraser’s death was the last execution by decapitation in Britain in 1747). “It’s hard to imagine an 80-year-old man fighting in such a bloody battle. But anyway, he was captured and executed … It’s been fun to shoot so far. I’m very excited about it. I know the fans are excited about it, too.”
While we wait for Blood of My Blood to come out, Outlander Season 7 Part 2 is set to premiere in 2024.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Series Premiere, TBA, Starz
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
