With production now underway on the show’s seventh season, Starz original series Outlander has announced a major piece of casting news for the next batch of episodes with the addition of actor Charles Vandervaart as Willie Ransom, the secret son of Jamie Fraser. The news comes directly from Starz’ social media presence, who offered a first look photo and an explainer for fans that may not remember his place in the narrative: “Willie is the ninth Earl of Ellesmere, Jamie Fraser’s son (though he doesn’t know it), and Lord John Grey’s stepson. In Season 7, Willie arrives in Wilmington full of enthusiasm to join the British Army and help put an end to the rebellion.” Vandervaart marks the third actor to take on the role in the series.
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“We are happy to welcome Charles to the Fraser family for season seven of ‘Outlander,’ joining the cast with the other talented actors that bring our stories to life,” showrunner, writer and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts told Variety in a statement. “Scotland will again be our production home as the Frasers and MacKenzies try to make a home against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War. This season promises more adventure, time travel and emotional peril than any season before.”
“The character of William Ransom is a wonderful role, and one fans have been eager to see,” Executive producer Maril Davis added. “Finding someone with the talent and physicality to play Jamie’s son was a daunting task, but Charles’ charisma was evident during the audition process and we are excited to see what he will bring to William’s multi-layered journey.”
Outlander recently returned after a nearly two year long hiatus with season six – a season that was first announced way back in 2018. The seventh season of the series is now in the works with a prequel series also in development at the premium cable network. Outlander’s seventh season will super-sized, containing sixteen episodes when it does premiere, making up for the shorter than usual sixth season. Starz official description for the show reads:
“Follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world in which her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.”
