Outlander is going where Game of Thrones went before: the show is ending before the book series does, and the creative team is writing their own conclusion.
Showrunner Matthew B. Roberts confirmed to press this week that the final season, which begins filming later this year, will not be adapting an ending from Diana Gabaldon's novels — because that ending doesn't exist yet. Gabaldon has published nine books in the series and is working on a tenth, but she's been clear that the story isn't over. The show, now in its eighth and final season, can't wait.
This is delicate territory. Game of Thrones ran ahead of George R.R. Martin's books and delivered an ending that enraged large portions of its fanbase. Fair or not, the comparison is unavoidable.
But there are key differences. Gabaldon has been involved with the show throughout its run, and Roberts emphasized that the ending is being developed in collaboration with her. "We're not going rogue," he said. "Diana knows where the story ends. We're just getting there first."
That should provide some reassurance to fans. Outlander has been remarkably faithful to the source material, adapting Gabaldon's sprawling historical romance with care even when the books' length and structure made that difficult. The show has earned trust in a way that Game of Thrones, which started diverging from Martin as early as season five, arguably hadn't.
Still, there's an inherent risk. Book readers have spent years — in some cases decades — imagining how Claire and Jamie's story concludes. The show is going to deliver an answer, in a visual medium that leaves less room for interpretation, before Gabaldon publishes hers. Even if the endings are "aligned," the show's version becomes canon first.
