'Outlander' Season 3: Big Change Planned for Frank and Black Jack Randall
A huge change involving Frank and Black Jack Randall, both played by Tobias Menzies, seems to be in order come "Outlander" season 3 and beyond.
The upcoming season of the hit time travel drama is based on author Diana Gabaldon's third book, "Voyager" although there were creative changes made including the inclusion of the Battle of Culloden.
Fans who read the books would know that it is also in "Voyager" that the final key mentions of the characters were made, which means their major involvement in the story is set to end in "Outlander" season 3.
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However, it looks like the show is looking to flesh out their stories even more than the novels did. This is what executive producer Ron Moore hinted to TV Guide at the ATX Television Festival.
He gushed about the tremendous job that Menzies does in portraying Frank and his 18th-century ancestor Black Jack, who was a prime adversary of both Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe).
"You never know. We've talked about it," the EP admitted with regards to bringing Frank and Black Jack beyond "Outlander" season 3.
"There's always the possibility of flashing back and revisiting him in either role if we had a reason to. Diana in subsequent books kind of touches back to Frank for various reasons. We might do that. It really depends on how we break that in subsequent years," he went on to say.
Even without this, "Outlander" season 3 is already expanding Frank's story more than the books did by showing what Frank and Claire are up to now that she is back in her original place in history.
"The story requires [Frank]'s presence. Claire, from the beginning, was married to Frank and spent the entire first book trying to get back to him," Moore explained.
The EP noted that while she found the love of her life in Jamie, there is still Frank who has "this hold on her so she feels like she needs to go back."
"That to me says that's a really strong character and an important character. To understand Claire, you need to understand the nature of that relationship with Frank," he went on to say.
When Claire goes back to the 20th century, Frank will be the one to raise Brianna (Sophie Skelton), making him the father figure to her instead of Jamie.
This is what Gabaldon also emphasized at ATX Television Festival. In another interview with TV Guide, she said that "Outlander" season 3 will show a bit more of the couple of decades Claire spends with Frank, ultimately allowing viewers to "experience both [Jamie and Claire's lives] at the same time."
"Outlander" season 3 will premiere September on Starz.
