Starz's 'Outlander' Continues Long Sexy Tease with New Trailer and More Details about the Show

At the TCA press tour today, “Outlander” showrunner Ronald D. Moore, author Diana Gabaldon and stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan appeared before critics to discuss the hit time travel/period drama. But first, they released a treat: Starz unveiled a new extended trailer for the upcoming second half of its first season, as well as new images from the series.

“Outlander” returns to Starz on April 4. Check out the trailer below, as well as our liveblog of the panel.

3:40pm: Starz CEO Chris Albrecht, during his executive session, referred to the company’s philosophy towards adapting “Outlander” as “do no harm” to Gabaldon’s books. “The fans have been tremendous,” he added, citing the show’s recent People’s Choice win.

“It is a grueling shoot for the team.. but we have plans to continue with the franchise as long as it’s working as well as it is now,” he said.

4:50pm: Just as the panel begins, it’s announced that a one-minute sneak preview “with some surprises for fans” will air with the “Black Sails” premiere on January 24.

[Mild spoilers follow.]

5:00pm: On the panel, Ronald D. Moore is wearing a kilt. Sam Heughan is not.

Asked about the adaptation process for Book 1, Moore said that they stuck to the book order of events in plotting episodes, but then made changes along the way. “We are honor-bound to maintain consistency of that going forward,” he said, especially for fans who have not read the books.

If you have read the books: The first book will be the first season, with Season 2 being referred to as Book 2.

There’s a temporary switch from Claire’s point-of-view to Jamie’s point-of-view at the beginning of Season 1.5, along with a shift in voice-over.

Diana Gabaldon, when asked if she approved of Balfe and Heughan’s casting, said there had been options she “didn’t want,” but that she was more than enthusiastic about the ultimate choices: “You found [Jamie],” she told Moore when Heughan was selected.

5:10pm: Gabaldon isn’t worried about the show affecting her book series at this point, because she’s currently writing the ninth book, which takes place 40 years later in the story. She mentioned that while the show has built up the fan base for her books, it’s especially built up her male readership.

We also learned that the prosthetic scarring applied to Heughan’s back can take up to three hours to apply, and it does “move along with the body” when rolling around, and holds up relatively well to damage.

There will be no more of Frank’s perspective from the 20th century in Season 1, Moore said, but that will come back in Season 2.



Finally, Moore and Heughan’s kilt supplier, if you were wondering, is 21st Century Kilts in Edinburgh. Now you know.

READ MORE: Fall 2014 TV Preview: Between ‘Outlander,’ ‘The Knick,’ ‘Please Like Me’ and ‘Cristala,’ Don’t Give Up on Fridays and Saturdays

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