Outlander season 4 likely to use Scotland for North Carolina scenes

While all signs seemed to be pointing towards Scotland doubling for North Carolina on Outlander season 4, more evidence is in. First, there was the news that location scouts were looking at places to use in the region for substantial periods of time. Now, the comments from author Diana Gabaldon seem to further reflect the intention to try and use Scotland for as much filming as humanly possible.

While nothing is 100% confirmed just yet, Gabaldon noted (per the Scotsman) while at the National Museum of Scotland that it makes a great deal of sense to use the studio and the resources that are already there — the interior shots there can be used to look like anywhere, and there are many geographic similarities between the two parts of the world:

“… I don’t know for sure where the fourth season will be filmed, but a great deal of the fourth book is set in North Carolina and many of the Scottish Highlanders who settled there felt that it looked like Scotland, which in turn means Scotland looks a lot like North Carolina … It makes sense to film in Scotland because they have the studio facility and around 250 crew and technicians who live and work in Scotland.”

Having a familiar crew is more important for a show than possibly be said. It’s difficult getting accustomed to new groups of people — even if they are very skilled, they don’t have the shorthand that established crew members have, and therefore may not have as clear of an understanding as to what you want done at any given moment. There is something very significant that comes from having that established family, and logistically it does make sense to stay put in Scotland given so much of the series was filmed there. The filming transition to South Africa this spring may have been easier than many others, simply because there was already a familiar relationship with much of that crew and Starz thanks to Black Sails filming down in the Cape Town area for so many years.

The reality here remains that filming for season 4 still won’t begin for a rather long time. Once filming concludes in June, there will be a brief break before presumably promotion begins for season 3. It would be a surprise to see season 4 start filming before the press cycle is over, but who knows what the folks in production have planned? All of this is so far down the road that it’s not the easiest thing to project.

Do you think that Scotland should serve as a worthy North Carolina substitute? Share now in the attached comments!

Meanwhile, head over to this link in the event you do want further news when it comes to Outlander right now. (Photo: Starz.)