The news of Caitriona Balfe’s mystery illness can put cold water to the joy fans got when they found out that the shooting of the new Season of Outlander has begun. For the production of Outlander Season 3 did begin on the 21st of August, with the male lead Sam Heughan joining the set.
It is not known what exactly Balfe is suffering from, or whether she is suffering from anything in the first place. While MNR Daily is of the opinion that her ill health is the cause of the recent production delays, Ecumenical News reports that nothing is wrong, and the production is keeping good time.
Whatever the case may be, the premiere of Outlander Season 3 may be pushed back from its supposed early 2017 date if Balfe is indeed sick.
While nobody is allowed to divulge details, there have been teasers from production designer Jon Gary Steele and Heughan.
Steele posted pictures on Instagram of props from what many fans think to be from Ardmuir prison, and some battle equipment.
Ardmuir is an important point in Voyager, the third book of author Diana Gabaldon’s popular series, on which TV show is based. It is here that Jamie (played by Heughan) meets Lord John Grey, who runs the place, and who is a popular and important character.
For it was Grey who had fought Jamie as a 16-year-old British soldier who had tried to kill Jaime back in the episode ‘Je Suis Priest’ because he had thought that Jamie was holding Claire (Balfe) against her will. Though things had been cooled off by Claire, Grey had promised to return someday and kill Jaime.
Lord Grey does return: not to kill but to kiss. Because there is speculation that Grey, who has feelings for Jasmine in the book, may also end up kissing her onscreen.
Several actors, among them Tom Felton from Harry Potter and Charlie Hunnam, are in the running for the role. While Felton was the first favorite, his being cast in ‘The Flash’ has put a question mark over his inclusion, as he may not have enough time for this role.
The time gap, with Grey being 36 years old, is explained by a gap of 20 years from the time Claire left to return to her world in Season 2, having thought that Jamie had died in the Battle of Culloden.
While we know how Claire is going to look twenty years from the time she left, Jamie’s look has not yet been revealed. Heughan recently took to Instagram to post a funny picture of how he would look twenty years from the time we last saw him.
Balfe had immediately responded, saying jokingly that Claire won’t have much to do with Jamie if he did look like that. There are rumors that Balfour and Heughan may be an off-screen couple as well, though the two have previously denied such allegations.
As for Claire’s return, producer Maril Davis told Movie News Guide that they were still working on how to frame the much-anticipated reunion of the two characters, though they would not diverge much from the books.
And if it is indeed so, then it is going to be tricky, something acknowledged by both Heughan and showrunner Ronald D Moore.
While Moore did not give much away of what to expect, he did throw some tidbits for the fans to remain hooked. For starters, Season 3 will begin with Scotland and will gradually proceed through Jamaica and the Caribbean before eventually winding up in the New World.
You should have warned your audience that you have included spoilers. Also Jamie never has an affair with John Grey in the books. It would be a major disappointment if it happened in the show. There are also some confusing typos in this article. Or maybe just misinformation. Perhaps an editor or proofreader is needed.
You should have warned your audience that you have included spoilers. Also Jamie never has an affair with John Grey in the books. It would be a major disappointment if it happened in the show. There are also some confusing typos in this article. Or maybe just misinformation. Perhaps an editor or proofreader is needed.