Starz dropped the first footage from "Outlander" season 4 after the marathon screening of the time-travel series' third run this past weekend. Running at over 2 minutes long, the exclusive teaser hints at a new character who could play a significant role next season.
The footage sees Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) in their wagon, getting stopped by a bunch of grumpy Redcoats who want to know why they are out so late. The latter says it is a family matter, but the soldiers are not entirely convinced. As they start inspecting the carriage, Jamie alerts them that they are carrying the corpse of one of his countrymen who was hanged earlier the day. They poke the body with a bayonet to verify if it is really dead, and seeing there is no reaction, the couple is allowed to keep going.
While viewers do not get to see the body, book readers will know who exactly is the "dead man" under the sheet. TV Line notes it is actually Stephen Bonnet, an Irish pirate and smuggler introduced in Diana Gabaldon's "Drums of Autumn," who was supposed to be hanged but managed to escape alive. A worthy replacement of Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) as the story's despicable big bad, Bonnet will make life miserable for the Frasers for years to come.
Stephen Bonnet will be played by Ed Speelers. The actor currently appears in "Breathe" alongside Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, and previously starred in "Wolf Hall," "Downton Abbey," and "Alice Through The Looking Glass." He was cast in the role October last year alongside Maria Doyle Kennedy who signed up to play Jamie's aunt Jocasta, the younger sister of his mother and uncles Dougal (Graham McTavish) and Colum (Gary Lewis) MacKenzie.
"Outlander" season 4 is currently filming with no exact release date, but it is expected to return on Starz sometime this year with 14 episodes. The exclusive sneak peek is not available online at the moment, but fans can find it on the Starz app or video on demand.
