Outlander: Casting the TV Series

So, I'm gonna start off with a shameless plug (or two). I'm trying to be a published novelist and I'm blogging about it. Every so often, I write a "book analysis." It's when I take a book I just read and go over it. I examine it for what I believe the author did well and what I thought could've been done better. So I did it for Diana Gabaldon's book "Outlander." I thought I did it for the second in the series, "Dragonfly in Amber," but it appears I didn't. Judging by my Goodreads review, I guess I was just too fed up. Not too fed up to stop reading the series, though I have yet to start "Voyager," the third book in the series.

And not enough to be excited to see "Outlander" brought to life on my TV screen. A few months ago, Starz tapped Ron C. Moore to create a possible series based on Gabaldon's Outlander series. Earlier this month, the series received the green light.

You know what that means! Time to get really serious about casting speculation. Because we've all speculated on the chance this would happen. And I'm no different. So, I present to you my selections for the main characters of Outlander under the cut.




First up: Allan Scott-Douglas as Jamie

For many of you, he's probably an unknown actor, but if you're a fan of "Outlander," you most likely know who he is. He sang the role of Jamie on the concept album of "Outlander: the Musical." I think he'll make a great Jamie in the series. Though I would also prefer Kevin McKidd:

But I think he's a bit tied up with Grey's Anatomy. 

Moving on, let's deal with my ideal Claire: 

Anna Friel. I thought she was one of the best parts of Timeline. And I think she'd handle Claire very well.

Now, onto Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall/Frank Randall:

Jason Isaacs,who would have to pull double duty as Claire's husband Frank is a dead ringer for his ancestor Jonathan. "Black Jack" will be Isaacs usual role--the villain. But Frank would also let him play a good guy as well.

For Geillis Duncan, I would cast Kelly MacDonald:

I think she would play the supposed witch well and would pull off Geillis' madness. Or her cover of madness.

Moving to Jamie's sister, Jenny Fraser Murray:

Michelle Duncan, picture taken from the Doctor Who episode "Tooth and Claw," where I believe most of my blog readers will recognize her.

And last (from me), Ian Murray--Jenny's husband and Jamie's friend:

James McAvoy. He could also be considered for Jamie with either some hair dye or wigs.

Which brings me to the last point I wish to make: I understand we all have images of these characters in our heads. And the final casting may not match it. No doubt, there will be cries of "But X isn't a red head!" or "But Jenny has black hair!" Those are merely the character's physical appearance and that can be fixed with hair dyes, makeup and prosthetics. What matters is if the actor can embody the character we've come to love (or hate, depending).

So, with that in mind, who is in your dream "Outlander" cast? Sound off below!