‘Outlander’ Has Found It’s Roger Wakefield In Scottish Actor Richard Rankin, Who Will Be Cast As Briana For Season 2?

Outlander has officially found the right man to play the part of Roger Wakefield in the new season. According to Variety, the popular character will be played by Richard Rankin, who just so happens to be a native of Scotland. With the hit series closing the deal with Rankin, are producers close to casting the part of Brianna?

In the books by Diana Gabaldon, Roger is characterized as being a smart, considerate, and amiable type of person. Roger is the boy that Reverend Wakefield adopted in Season 1 after his parents were tragically killed during World War II. Roger has grown up since his introduction last season, and is now an Oxford professor of history.

As fans who have read Gabaldon’s books are well aware, Roger plays an important role in the series and is a key figure for both Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and Briana. That being said, it will be interesting to see how the TV show adapts his storyline into Season 2 and future seasons.

For his part, Rankin has plenty of experience in both television and film. The actor made a recent appearance with Bradley Cooper in Burnt, directed by John Wells. He has also played a role in a number of television shows, which include The Syndicate, The Crimson Field, and American Odyssey. In regards to his work on BBC shows, Rankin was recently featured in From Darkness, and is set to appear as a detective in the upcoming drama, Thirteen.

Although fans are certainly excited at knowing who will playing Roger in Season 2 of Outlander, an official announcement regarding the casting of Brianna MacKenzie has yet to be made. That being said, executive producer Ronald D. Moore recently revealed to E! Online that they are very close in casting the part.

“Hopefully we’ll be announcing soon. We’re getting close. But it’s a tough part to cast and it’s just taking a while,” Moore stated.

Like Roger, Brianna also plays an important role throughout the series, especially considering she is Claire’s daughter from the future. With that in mind, Franchise Herald is reporting that Moore previously shared that a “well-known” actress was being considered for the part, though casting someone with a lot of experience wasn’t a necessity.

“We haven’t been really looking for a name per se. I think we’re open to it but it hasn’t really been our focus,” he explained.

With a future announcement still pending, there have been a few names mentioned as being good possibilities for the role. Most notably, Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones has been named as a fan favorite to play the part of Brianna. However, the actress recently revealed that she is too busy working on Game of Thrones to be involved in another series.

“Somebody mentioned [the role] to me when I was on a red carpet somewhere, that I’d make a great Brianna, and I think the guy Sam retweeted it or something,” Turner explained to EW. “So people started talking like I was in it. I’ve never seen the show. I’m sure it’s great, but I’m loyal to my one true love!”

Given the recent announcement that Rankin will be playing the part of Roger, fans can only hope that a similar announcement will soon be made for Brianna.

Apart from the aforementioned actors, the new season of Outlander will introduce a number of new characters, including Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), Sister Angelique (Audrey Brisson), King Louis XV (Lionel Lingelser), Joseph Duverney (Mar Duret), and Fergus (Romann Berrux).

The second season of Outlander is expected to premiere in early 2016.

[Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]