The pieces of the puzzle continue to fall into place for Starz’s Outlander series as Scottish actors Graham McTavish and Gary Lewis have been cast as Jamie Fraser’s uncles Dougal and Colum McKenzie: key members of the McKenzie clan to whom Sam Heughan’s Jamie Fraser – full name James Alexander Malcolm McKenzie Fraser – has yet to swear allegiance as the series begins.
For more information on their characters and how they fit into the Outlander saga, check out the press release after the jump.
STARZ AND SONY PICTURES TV ADD ACTORS TO THE “OUTLANDER” CLAN
Scottish Natives Graham McTavish and Gary Lewis Join Cast of Anticipated Original Series as Dougal and Colum MacKenzie Respectively
Beverly Hills, Calif., September 4, 2013 – Starz in association with Sony Pictures Television has announced today that Graham McTavish (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, “24”) will play Dougal MacKenzie and Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York) will play Colum MacKenzie in the highly anticipated original series “Outlander.” The series will be adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling books, with the first two episodes written by executive producer Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and directed by John Dahl (“Dexter,” “Breaking Bad,” “Justified”). “Outlander,” which is set to premiere on STARZ in 2014, will begin filming in Scotland, where the series is set, this fall.
McTavish and Lewis, who both hail from Scotland, will join fellow Scot Sam Heughan, who was recently cast as Jamie Fraser for the series. Fraser, whose full name is James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, is nephew to Dougal and Colum; when the series begins, Fraser has yet to swear allegiance to the MacKenzie clan causing a heated tension amongst the hot-blooded Scottish clan.
The “Outlander” series spans the genres of romance, science fiction, history and adventure in one epic tale. It 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 where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
Dougal MacKenzie is the War Chieftain of Clan MacKenzie. His older brother Colum is the ruling Laird but would be nothing without Dougal, his loyal right hand. Dougal is a skilled and experienced warrior. A strong leader, he commands respect in any setting and is feared by many. Unlike his brother, Dougal secretly supports the rebel cause against the British.
Colum is Jamie’s maternal uncle. He is a man who reigns over a powerful clan, but must rely on Dougal to be the true muscle. Colum suffers from a condition now known as Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome, a degenerative disease that renders his legs immobile at times, and fills his days with great physical pain. Colum, using wine to dull the pain, is able to rise to the occasion when needed, parading around at clan dinners and gatherings, solidifying his position as clan leader.
Graham McTavish has starred in a number of film and television roles including opposite Sylvester Stallone in Rambo and as the Russian Diplomat Mikhail Novakovich on the final season of “24.” He recently starred as Dwalin in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and will reprise his role in the last two installments of the Peter Jackson trilogy. Graham has had leading roles in the feature films Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground and The Wicker Tree. His other feature roles include Middle Men, Secretariat and Colombiana. Graham has served as the voice of Dante Alighieri in the recent animated film and video game of the same name, “Dante’s Inferno,” and has also performed voices for “Wolverine and the X-Men,” “Hulk Vs.” and “The Avengers.” He has appeared in leading roles in prestigious UK theatres including, the Royal Court, the National in London and the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh. He is represented by Cheri Barner Management and the Stone, Manners, Salners Agency.
Gary Lewis has become internationally known for such high profile roles as the troubled father in Billy Elliot and the volatile McGloin in Gangs of New York. He has appeared in many critically acclaimed films, including My Name Is Joe and the Oscar nominated Joyeux Noel. He won a Best Actor award at Gijon Film Festival for his role in Peter Mullan’s Orphans. His work on flagship television shows such as Prime Suspect attracted praise and he was BAFTA nominated for his role in Mo alongside Julie Walters. His most recent work includes Libertador, a film about the life of Simon Bolivar and The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich, about the last years of Wilhelm Reich. Gary also starred in the acclaimed BBC One drama “Case Histories.” He continues to work on short films, such as The Terms directed by Jason LaMotte. Gary is represented by Creative Artists Management in the UK.
Diana Gabaldon’s seven-book series has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and has graced the New York Times best-sellers list six times. The eighth installment of the “Outlander” series is slated to be released in the spring of 2014.
Ronald D. Moore and Jim Kohlberg are executive producers of “Outlander,” which is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Story Mining & Supply Company and Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.9 million subscribers, including 21.8 million at STARZ, and 35.1 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks’ third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution’s home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.
About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the television industry’s leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, around the world and for a multitude of platforms. In addition to one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT has 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 15 countries outside the U.S. and also maintains offices in 32 countries. SPT’s worldwide television networks portfolio includes 124 channel feeds available in 159 countries, reaching more than 800 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE’s premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of cable channel Game Show Network (GSN), 3D channel 3net, premier horror/thriller website and VOD service FEARnet and national U.S media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in SPT’s syndicated series as well as in U.S. digital businesses including FEARnet, DrOz.com and PlayStation.
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