Outlander scores early Season 7 renewal at Starz, promises 'more time travel'

The time-bending romance between Claire and Jamie Fraser will continue in a seventh season of Outlander, Starz confirmed Sunday.

The forthcoming 12 episodes are set to be adapted from An Echo in the Bone (2009), the seventh book in Diana Gabaldon's best-selling series of novels. Ronald D. Moore, who developed the project for television, will continue to serve as an executive producer alongside Matthew B. Roberts, Maril Davis, Toni Graphia, Andy Harries, and Jim Kohlberg. Roberts pulls double duty as showrunner.

“Starz is committed to investing in unapologetic, bold premium storytelling that amplifies diverse voices and shines a spotlight on women in front of and behind the camera through our #TakeTheLead initiative,” Christina Davis, President of Original Programming for Starz, said in a statement. “The hit series Outlander embodies everything about our initiative including a powerful female lead character and an amazing team of storytellers. We look forward to following the adventures of Claire and Jamie in America during the Revolution as well as more time travel during this next season.”

“We are so excited Starz has given us the opportunity to continue the epic Outlander journey,” added Roberts. “We can’t wait to get into the writer’s room and start breaking Echo in the Bone and look forward to giving the fans another season of this exhilarating story.”

Production on Season 6 is currently underway in Scotland with Caitriona Balfe ("Claire Randall Fraser"), Sam Heughan ("Jamie Fraser"), Sophie Skelton ("Brianna Randall"), and Richard Rankin ("Roger Wakefield"). All of these actors are confirmed to return for Season 7. A potential spinoff show is also in the works.

"Conversations are underway on both season seven and on a spinoff and I think we're going to have good news on both those fronts before too long so I feel very optimistic about it," Moore told SYFY WIRE earlier this year. "I agree that I would've been happy to see [a spinoff] happen sooner than this but everything happens in its time. I think both those things are probably going to happen and hopefully we'll be able to say something about it before too long."

Gabaldon released an eighth Outlander book — Written in My Own Heart's Blood — in 2014, with a ninth installment — Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone — on the way.