‘Outlander’ Adds Two New Cast Members For Season 5
There’s going to be some new additions on Outlander Season 5, two of whom are listed as “featured” cast members.
According to CarterMatt, the most recent addition is Mark Barrett, and he is one of two casting announcements that fans have had during a “droughtlander,” which will last longer than usual. While the Twitter post from his management didn’t confirm which character Barrett will be playing, there are guesses that due to his physical resemblance to Richard Rankin (Roger MacKenzie), he could be cast as William Buccleigh MacKenzie, aka “Buck” — a character featured at around this portion of the Diana Gabaldon (the author of the Outlander series of books) source material.
Buck MacKenzie is the illegitimate son of Dougal MacKenzie and Geillis Duncan and could be an interesting addition to tie the families together in their North Carolina life. If the script for Season 5 is going to stick to the novel The Fiery Cross, there should be quite a bit of casting news to come.
The other new actor coming to Outlander, according to CarterMatt, is Leonard Cook. The added featured role could mean many things, including “a guest spot in a single episode or an arc that lasts several.”
Mark Barrett is currently filming for his featured role in the new season of Sony Pictures’ ‘Outlander’ @markfbarrett pic.twitter.com/198wiHf8wx
— International Artists Management (@iAM_Global) August 2, 2019
While it’s easier to guess which part Mark Barrett might play, with Cook it’s a bit harder.
“With Leonard Cook, we don’t think identifying a possible role for him is as clear,” writes CarterMatt,
Cook is best known as a theater actor, and he is in good company, as there are several other stage actors in the cast, including Laura Donnelly who plays Jamie’s sister, Jenny. Donnelly is currently starring in The Ferryman.
Express hinted that the characters played by Barrett and Cook could bring more trouble for Roger MacKenzie, the husband of Brianna. It has been confirmed that there will be new tenants moving into Fraser’s Ridge, but will they be friend or foe to the couple from the future?
Leonard Cook is currently filming for his featured role in ‘Outlander’ produced by Sony Pictures https://t.co/9RxxECR5Ww via @International Artists Management
— Outlander America™ ?? (@OL_America) August 4, 2019
Rankin has hinted that Season 5 of Outlander won’t necessarily be as true to the book as prior seasons, says The Inquisitr. It’s always possible that a new character could be created or two characters from the book could even be combined. Rankin explained that there is so much detail in The Fiery Cross that there aren’t enough episodes to include them in just one season.
“It’s all very early stages in terms of the adaptation. I know they’re compressing a lot of stuff but keeping the essence of it quite similar. Adaptations are always going to be tricky, especially with book five. There’s quite a lot of it in the first part. There’s too much to transfer over to television anyway; half the season would be gone with just the Gathering alone.”
