Latest news with #MatthewBRoberts
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
New period drama hailed as 'simply mind-blowing' as it debuts with whopping 88% Rotten Tomatoes score - and viewers are 'already addicted' after '10/10' premiere
A new period drama hailed as 'simply mind-blowing' has received a whopping 92% Rotten Tomatoes score - and viewers are 'already addicted' to it. Historical romance drama Outlander: Blood of My Blood, developed by Matthew B. Roberts, is a prequel to Ronald D. Moore's Outlander. Review site Rotten Tomatoes synopsis reads: 'Outlander: Blood Of My Blood is a romantic saga that unfolds across time. 'From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways.' It stars the likes of Harriet Slater, Jamie Roy, Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Tony Curran, Sam Retford and Seamus McLean Ross. The first two episodes of the show were released on August 8 on US television network Starz. Meanwhile in the UK fans can watch it on MGM+. The series has received rave reviews and has an incredible 88% on the Tomatometer review on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile others have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts. 'The first two episodes... simply mind blowing. Can't wait for the third.' 'Now THAT is how you do a prequel series! 'Outlander: Blood of my Blood is FANTASTIC. It's a perfect balance of new and old. And this casting?? ARE YOU SERIOUS?? 10/10, no notes. 'My only complaint is now I have to wait a week for the next episode.' 'What a wonder #outlanderbloodofmyblood I'm not a fan of the original, but I watched the prequel for a review and if you like romance, folks, it's a 10/10. Many have rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their positive reviews on the new drama Meanwhile others took to IMDb to share their thoughts. 'I absolutely love it! For bringing back 18th-century Scotland to life, its customs, clan politics and stunning landscapes. 'The chemistry between the cast is fantastic and really draws you into the story. 'Plus, Julie Fowlis' incredible voice adds such a magical touch. It's a series that truly transports you to another time. Highly recommend!' 'The costumes. The cinematography. The landscapes giving main character vibes. The accents. 'I love the new cast. It's good to see the characters, some of which we could only imagine come to life on the screen. 'These stories are so well developed by the creators. 'The behind the scenes looks with the actors is an added bonus.' 'Absolutely love this show! I'm hooked!' 'Excellent prequel to Outlander.' Outlander premiered on Starz in 2014 and is based on Diana Gabaldon's novel of the same name. Over the years there have been a total of 91 episodes across seven seasons. It stars the likes of Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Graham McTavish, Stephen Walters, Gary Lewis, Lotte Verbeek, Bill Paterson and Simon Callow.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Outlander: Blood of My Blood': 'Outlander' prequel drops twist about Claire's parents
"It just adds a whole new layer of storytelling," showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts said The Outlander universe is expanding with Outlander: Blood of My Blood (on Crave in Canada), with an ensemble cast that includes Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater. The prequel to the famed Outlander series takes us across time, from the First World War to the 18th century Scottish Highlands, as two couples try to stay together, while being forced apart. One couple is Julia Moriston (Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Irvine), parents of Outlander character Claire (played by Caitríona Balfe). While Outlander established that Claire's parents died in a car crash, we quickly find out what really happened in Blood of my Blood, and it involves a connection to Claire's time travel. "I just love the idea ... of including Claire's parents in the first place. I think it opens up the world in such an amazing way, and it makes sense," executive producer Maril Davis told Yahoo Canada. "All we know is they died in a car crash, and the fact that they didn't die in a car crash, and they've actually gone through time, is such great connective tissue to the mothership, in terms of Claire's abilities to travel." "I love seeing Claire's mother. She's very Claire, obviously, but she's her own person. ... Claire was, in some ways, very medical focused. Julia is kind of a master of many trades. We see she's artistic. She can put herbs together. She's got an incredible memory for detail." "She's also very mechanical. She can build things," showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts added. "You want to see that when you're watching Julia you go, oh maybe Claire got that from her. And then when you see Henry you go, oh maybe she got that from Henry. And I think that's the way we want to build it out. That you're not seeing facsimiles of Claire, or Caitríona's Claire, ...that Hermione is actually bringing her own thing to Julia." Corfield described playing Julia as a "huge honour," but also felt a responsibility in being that connection to a beloved character from Outlander. "I was always keen for her to have elements of Claire, but to be her own character," Corfield said. "No one wants an impression of another performance, so I kind of looked at the core elements of Claire and then tried to find a similarity in the core of Julia, and worked from there. But yes, they're both strong women that deal with a lot of adversity." When it comes to Henry, his story isn't just about finding Julia, but he's also dealing with PTSD from his time in the war, adding another layer and more dimension to the character. "It's obviously very sad that Henry has to deal with that, but for me it's great because ... it just opens up so many ideas," Irvine said. "Then you can just start to play and sort of go, well how far can we take this?" "As an actor, it's a gift. You've just got the all clear to go and hopefully do something really fun and different, and hopefully interesting to watch." 'He's like the 18th century Superman' The second couple we follow in Blood of my Blood is Ellen MacKenzie (Slater) and Brian Fraser (Roy), parents to Jamie (played by Sam Heughan in Outlander). A core element of the series is allowing the audience to see how integral Jamie and Claire's parents are in them ending up together. But one of the most beautiful scenes in all of Blood of my Blood is a moment when Ellen and Brian, after their first brief meeting, reconnect alone by a bridge in the beautiful Scotland landscape. "It was a really important scene for us as well. We'd lived with it for a long time. It was our audition scenes, both of us, and then we eventually read it together at the chemistry read as well. So we were kind of anticipating it with a lot of excitement, and it didn't disappoint," Slater said. "It was quite a dramatic day because the weather was not on our side. I think we were delayed for quite a long time at the beginning of it, and then when we eventually got around to shooting it, we couldn't hear each other because the water was so loud. We had earpieces, but they were cutting out." For Roy, something he really brings forward for Jamie is this appealing heart and compassion that the character has. "He learns that from both his mother and his father in different ways," he said. "So from his mother, Davina, he's learned to love and respect and to take care of people. And from his father, he's learned how to not be a man. So everything that Lord Lovat does he wants to do the opposite of." "I think that's the combination, ... as well as him being kind of stoic in the sense of [controlling] what he can control, and accepting everything that he can't, which he learned how to do because he's a bastard son, so he doesn't have the same opportunities, the same access to things as other people. And I think it's a combination of that, which has really allowed him to put other people first, who deserve it. At his heart, at his core, he's just a good person, and he's always trying to do the right thing. So anytime that he sees an opportunity to help somebody, to save someone, he's more than willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to protect the ones that he loves. Actually Matt Roberts said to me right from the start of filming, he's like the 18th century Superman. And I was like, got you, say no more." Can you watch 'Blood of my Blood' without watching 'Outlander' In terms of how Outlander and Blood of my Blood differ, emotional love stories are still central, including the steamy intimate scenes fans talk about season after season for Outlander, but Blood of my Blood is able to really dive into the political landscape, the politics between clans, much more than we've seen before. "Outlander moves away from that very quickly, ... there's a couple episodes where we really dive into it ... and now we know we can go seasons with it, because of this family dynamic, and it adds a new dimension to the storytelling," Roberts said. "Whereas in Outlander, the threat usually comes from without, and the family sticks together to fight it off, whereas in Blood, it's both within and without. So your rivals could be out there or within your own family. And it just adds a whole new layer of storytelling." If you never got into Outlander and you're wondering if you need to go back and watch all seven season, with its eighth season coming in 2026, that's not necessarily required. You'll certainly get a lot more out of Blood of my Blood if you do, but it is a story that, in a lot of way, can stand on its own. "A generation has gone by. When we started Outlander one of our writers, her child was in our writer's room with colouring books, and now he's in college," Roberts said. "The cast is all very young and very dynamic, but the stories are quite different, in a way, than Outlander. It's just one love story and we root for that couple, but all the stories had to go through Jamie and Claire, rightfully so. And on Blood we can hit the tributaries, and we can go and explore different characters, and that's really where the freedom comes from." "Also, I love the fact that you can come into this never having watched Outlander, but you can also come in having watched Outlander, be a fan, and there's extra stuff for you," Davis added. There's Easter eggs, in there, things and connections that you'll get that a new watcher might not. so I love that there is opportunities for both." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Outlander: Blood of My Blood': 'Outlander' prequel drops twist about Claire's parents
"It just adds a whole new layer of storytelling," showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts said The Outlander universe is expanding with Outlander: Blood of My Blood (on Crave in Canada), with an ensemble cast that includes Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater. The prequel to the famed Outlander series takes us across time, from the First World War to the 18th century Scottish Highlands, as two couples try to stay together, while being forced apart. One couple is Julia Moriston (Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Irvine), parents of Outlander character Claire (played by Caitríona Balfe). While Outlander established that Claire's parents died in a car crash, we quickly find out what really happened in Blood of my Blood, and it involves a connection to Claire's time travel. "I just love the idea ... of including Claire's parents in the first place. I think it opens up the world in such an amazing way, and it makes sense," executive producer Maril Davis told Yahoo Canada. "All we know is they died in a car crash, and the fact that they didn't die in a car crash, and they've actually gone through time, is such great connective tissue to the mothership, in terms of Claire's abilities to travel." "I love seeing Claire's mother. She's very Claire, obviously, but she's her own person. ... Claire was, in some ways, very medical focused. Julia is kind of a master of many trades. We see she's artistic. She can put herbs together. She's got an incredible memory for detail." "She's also very mechanical. She can build things," showrunner and executive producer Matthew B. Roberts added. "You want to see that when you're watching Julia you go, oh maybe Claire got that from her. And then when you see Henry you go, oh maybe she got that from Henry. And I think that's the way we want to build it out. That you're not seeing facsimiles of Claire, or Caitríona's Claire, ...that Hermione is actually bringing her own thing to Julia." Corfield described playing Julia as a "huge honour," but also felt a responsibility in being that connection to a beloved character from Outlander. "I was always keen for her to have elements of Claire, but to be her own character," Corfield said. "No one wants an impression of another performance, so I kind of looked at the core elements of Claire and then tried to find a similarity in the core of Julia, and worked from there. But yes, they're both strong women that deal with a lot of adversity." When it comes to Henry, his story isn't just about finding Julia, but he's also dealing with PTSD from his time in the war, adding another layer and more dimension to the character. "It's obviously very sad that Henry has to deal with that, but for me it's great because ... it just opens up so many ideas," Irvine said. "Then you can just start to play and sort of go, well how far can we take this?" "As an actor, it's a gift. You've just got the all clear to go and hopefully do something really fun and different, and hopefully interesting to watch." 'He's like the 18th century Superman' The second couple we follow in Blood of my Blood is Ellen MacKenzie (Slater) and Brian Fraser (Roy), parents to Jamie (played by Sam Heughan in Outlander). A core element of the series is allowing the audience to see how integral Jamie and Claire's parents are in them ending up together. But one of the most beautiful scenes in all of Blood of my Blood is a moment when Ellen and Brian, after their first brief meeting, reconnect alone by a bridge in the beautiful Scotland landscape. "It was a really important scene for us as well. We'd lived with it for a long time. It was our audition scenes, both of us, and then we eventually read it together at the chemistry read as well. So we were kind of anticipating it with a lot of excitement, and it didn't disappoint," Slater said. "It was quite a dramatic day because the weather was not on our side. I think we were delayed for quite a long time at the beginning of it, and then when we eventually got around to shooting it, we couldn't hear each other because the water was so loud. We had earpieces, but they were cutting out." For Roy, something he really bring forward for Jamie is this really appealing heart and compassion that the character has. "He learns that from both his mother and his father in different ways," he said. "So from his mother, Davina, he's learned to love and respect and to take care of people. And from his father, he's learned how to not be a man. So everything that Lord Lovat does he wants to do the opposite of." "I think that's the combination, ... as well as him being kind of stoic in the sense of [controlling] what he can control, and accepting everything that he can't, which he learned how to do because he's a bastard son, so he doesn't have the same opportunities, the same access to things as other people. And I think it's a combination of that, which has really allowed him to put other people first, who deserve it. At his heart, at his core, he's just a good person, and he's always trying to do the right thing. So anytime that he sees an opportunity to help somebody, to save someone, he's more than willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to protect the ones that he loves. Actually Matt Roberts said to me right from the star of filming, he's like the 18th century Superman. And I was like, got you, say no more." Can you watch 'Blood of my Blood' without watching 'Outlander' In term of how Outlander and Blood of my Blood differ, emotional love stories are still central, including the steamy intimate scenes fans talk about season after season for Outlander, but Blood of my Blood is able to really dive into the political landscape, the politics between clans, much more than we've seen before. "Outlander moves away from that very quickly, ... there's a couple episodes where we really dive into it ... and now we know we can go seasons with it, because of this family dynamic, and it adds a new dimension to the storytelling," Roberts said. "Whereas in Outlander, the threat usually comes from without, and the family sticks together to fight it off, whereas in Blood, it's both within and without. So your rivals could be out there or within your own family. And it just adds a whole new layer of storytelling." If you never got into Outlander and you're wondering if you need to go back and watch all seven season, with its eighth season coming in 2026, that's not necessarily required. You'll certainly get a lot more out of Blood of my Blood if you do, but it is a story that, in a lot of way, can stand on its own. "A generation has gone by. When we started Outlander one of our writers, her child was in our writer's room with colouring books, and now he's in college," Roberts said. "The cast is all very young and very dynamic, but the stories are quite different, in a way, than Outlander. It's just one love story and we root for that couple, but all the stories had to go through Jamie and Claire, rightfully so. And on Blood we can hit the tributaries, and we can go and explore different characters, and that's really where the freedom comes from." "Also, I love the fact that you can come into this never having watched Outlander, but you can also come in having watched Outlander, be a fan, and there's extra stuff for you," Davis added. There's Easter eggs, in there, things and connections that you'll get that a new watcher might not. so I love that there is opportunities for both."
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Outlander': Matthew B. Roberts Loves a Love Story
'Epic love stories, they have to have magic in them,' Matthew B. Roberts said on a recent video call. Roberts, wearing a drab, unmagical hoodie, did not look like a showrunner of two of streaming's swooniest shows: 'Outlander,' which will air its eighth and final season next year, and its new prequel, 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood,' which debuts on Starz on Friday. 'Outlander,' based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon, details the anguished romance between Jamie (Sam Heughan), an 18th-century Highland warrior, and Claire (Caitriona Balfe), a time-traveling World War II nurse who crosses his path. Alongside 'Bridgerton,' which it preceded, 'Outlander' has made a wildly successful case for romance as a viable genre on prestige TV, though Roberts doesn't describe it as a romance. 'My definition is: Romances end, love stories continue,' he said. 'Blood of My Blood,' which Roberts often abbreviated to the decidedly less romantic 'BoB,' offers two more. In this new series, Jamie's parents — Brian (Jamie Roy) and Ellen (Harriet Slater) — pursue a forbidden affair in the 1710s, while Claire's parents — Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Henry (Jeremy Irvine) — strike up an epistolary romance during World War I. And let's just say that time travel runs in the family, so eventually these stories intertwine. Starz has already ordered a second season, and Roberts is hoping for more. 'If you fall in love with characters on television shows, you can go for as long as that love exists,' he said. Roberts, a believer in true love, discussed heartbreak, fidelity and why he keeps torturing his characters. These are edited excerpts from the conversation. The 'Outlander' books have elements of fantasy and historical drama, but they are very much in the romance genre. Why has it taken prestige TV so long to embrace romance? With TV reaching more and more people on more and more outlets, you can take a chance. I mean, this was the pitch: A World War II nurse goes on a second honeymoon and touches a rock and goes through time and falls in love with a Highland warrior. But Starz wanted to reach a new audience. And this proved that the audience is out there. Romance is a genre largely by and for women. What do you bring to it? I was raised by a single mom and every person in my family right now is a woman, including my dog, so I think I have pretty good perspective. One of the things I often ask the writers before they get hired is if they've ever had their heart broken, that rock bottom where your stomach is in knots, where you feel like you're going to throw up. Those are feelings you need to be able to put onto the page. Luckily, I've had my heart broken a few times. What do you need to tell a great love story? You have to believe that they were meant to be, you have to have forces pulling them apart. You can't have a love story without that. Contemporary love stories are very difficult to tell because there aren't as many constraints to yank people apart. Do you ever feel bad that you keep pulling the 'Outlander' lovers apart? Can't you just let them be happy? Trust me, you don't want to see that episode where they're just happy. In Season 5, I gave them three-quarters of an hour of happiness when Bree (Claire and Jamie's daughter) and Roger got married. Then I had to turn it back into 'Outlander' again and create some drama. Do I feel bad? No. It feels necessary. Why end 'Outlander' now? The cast wanted to move on to other things. They've been very vocal about that. If they had wanted, I think we would keep going. When did you start thinking about spinoffs? Right at the end of Season 4. I had to pitch it to Diana first because I didn't want to waste a lot of time going down this road if she was adamantly against it. I pitched it to her at a premiere event for Season 5. We were on the panel together and I said, 'What do you think of this?' And she said, 'I think it's a good idea.' There's very little about Jamie's parents in the book and even less about Claire's. Was that a gift or a problem? It left a lot of room. For 'Outlander' we absolutely pull from the books. With 'Blood of My Blood,' there's canon that we definitely pay attention to, but it does give us the ability to go down tributaries that we wouldn't be able to go down with the books as guardrails. Do you have a favorite couple? I don't play favorites. I like both for different reasons. One is that Romeo-and-Juliet-type love story. They can't be together and they're just dying to be together. Then you have this other couple who fall in love through letters. That story came from my dad. In the early days of chat rooms, he met a woman. They sent emails back and forth. He called me one day and said, 'I'm going to go see this woman.' I'm like, 'Do you know what she looks like?' He goes, 'No, it's OK, I already love her.' They got married and they lived happily until he passed away. So I wanted Julia and Henry to meet that way. When they meet, they already love each other. That's what makes it magical. So you have these two couples — fated, magical. How much do you then torture them to tell your story? A lot. That's kind of the 'Outlander' world, that's our language. The fans know they're not coming to a show just to see happy, shiny people doing happy, shiny things. You may have moments that show the bond, but then things are going to get in your way. In 'Blood of My Blood' you have rival clans and you have rivals within your own clan, so these dynamics are very important: Who has the power? Who wants the power? Who needs the power? It's not just happy, loving, family moments. Why did you want these love stories to intersect? If we just told these two parallel loves stories, that would get old. You either invest in one couple or the other. So I wanted them to intertwine. In any other world, you would call it coincidence, but in the 'Outlander' universe, it's fate. Aside from being set a bit earlier, are there ways that this is a different show from 'Outlander'? For one, it's entirely set in Scotland. Believe it or not, out of eight seasons of 'Outlander,' we are only in Scotland for a season and a half. What's great about 'Blood of My Blood' is we can dig into the Scottishness of the show, the clan system and the politics of that. All of that is very different. We don't deal with family dynamics very much in 'Outlander' because it's all settled by the time we get there. Did you have to do further research into 18th-century customs or is that second nature by now? I did a lot when I started 'Outlander.' I read a lot about the history of Scotland, I read about the culture. With 'Blood of My Blood' I've been digging more into more of the mythologies and the stories and the beliefs in fairies and druids. Is it going to end happily for Claire and Jamie? Happy is one of those words that's very subjective. Well, do you think it ends happily? I'm very happy with it. I think possibly they might live happily ever after.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Outlander: Blood of My Blood Trailer Promises Another Timeless Romance
Starz has shared the official trailer for the upcoming epic romance drama, which serves as the first prequel to the popular period drama Outlander. The new show is scheduled to make its debut on Friday, August 8 on Starz. New episodes will be available to stream weekly on Fridays only on the Starz app, all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms. 'The series is a romantic saga that unfolds across time. From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways,' reads the synopsis. Check out the Outlander: Blood of My Blood trailer below (watch more trailers): The video highlights two epic parallel love stories, featuring the parents of the original show's lead characters Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser. It teases the challenges that both couples will have to face for the sake of love, while giving fans an idea on how they are connected with each other. The show will be led by Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy as they play the respective roles of Jamie's parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, while Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine are portraying Claire's parents Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp. Outlander: Blood of My Blood is written and executive produced by showrunner Matthew B. Roberts, inspired by Diana Gabaldon's best-selling novel series. Additional cast members include Tony Curran, Sam Retford, Conor MacNeill, Sam Retford, Rory Alexander, Seamus McLean Ross, Jhon Lumsden, Allison McKenzie, and more. The series is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis, who developed the original series for television through their Tall Ship Productions. It hails from executive producer Story Mining & Supply Company and Sony Pictures Television, with Gabaldon also attached as a consulting producer. The post Outlander: Blood of My Blood Trailer Promises Another Timeless Romance appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
