Why ‘Outlander’ Season 3 Might Stick To Diana Gabaldon’s Book More Than Season 2

“Outlander” fans had to get used to some changes in Season 2. Diana Gabaldon’s book, “Dragonfly in Amber,” was particularly difficult for the writers of the Starz drama to adapt to screen, but executive producer Maril Davis says Season 3, based on “Voyager,” won’t be quite as challenging.

“Actually, we’re really excited about ‘Voyager,’” Davis told Entertainment Tonight Canada. “It’s going to be a bit easier — but when I say ‘easy’ I put that in quotes … This second book was definitely a challenge for us, and ‘Voyager’ for us is kind of like a homecoming. The stories lay out so much easier — we see what they are, we see what the conflicts are and the dramatic moments.”

Showrunner Ron Moore agreed that the third “Outlander” book is just easier to adapt due to the structure. “Yeah, some things get moved around, but the third book is not nearly the same challenge as the second book is,” he told Deadline. “‘Voyager’ is a little bit more of a straight-ahead narrative and the adaptation process has already proven easier in the writers room because the structure is a little bit more straightforward.” Readers hope that means less page-to-screen changes, but they’ll have to watch to find out.

Davis added that although adapting “Voyager” is a little easier, she isn’t so sure “Outlander” Season 3 will come any sooner. “I don’t think we’ve talked about it yet and it’s less of a matter of when we want it to premiere, and more of when it’s going to be ready,” she added. “But we’ll go into production later this year and we’ll just start churning those episodes out.”

That isn’t quite as exciting as what producer Matt Roberts teased last month. As previously reported, Roberts hinted that the hiatus between Seasons 2 and 3 wouldn’t be quite so long.

“We haven't stopped working, and we just went straight over from Season 2 to Season 3,” Roberts told the Hollywood Reporter. “We carried the writers room over, and a few people in Scotland continued to prep for next season. ‘Outlander’ is a beast of a show to produce, so if we took a normal break, a regular hiatus like a normal show, we would already be behind. Now the fans can have it sooner than what they think. The Droughtlander won’t be as long as they expect.”

Fans will have to wait for Starz to make an official announcement regarding the “Outlander” Season 3 premiere.