'Outlander' season 3 air date, updates: John Bell and Wil Johnson officially sign in

"Outlander" season 3 adds two new cast members with John Bell ("The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies") and Wil Johnson ("Waking the Dead"). The former will be portraying Young Ian Murray in the eighteenth century while the latter will play Joe Abernathy in the mid-twentieth century.

According to a report from Variety, Young Ian is described as Jamie's (Sam Heughan) nephew, a brash and tall young man who is stubborn and has a reputation of getting in trouble. He does have a heart of gold and looks up to his uncle who is very similar to him in that they are both adventurous.

It is further stated that in future books by Diana Gabaldon, of which the show is based on, Young Ian further separates from the dull farmer life of his father and becomes more like Jamie, a brash but admirable young adventurer.

Joe, on the other hand, is described as a fellow student who meets Claire (Caitriona Balfe) in medical school, both of them training to become doctors. He is described as an intelligent and charismatic person with a "wry and irreverent sense of humor."

According to the report, he will be a close confidant to Claire and both will feel awkward and out of place given they are in an all-male and all-white academy during the Civil Rights era. During these difficult times, the two will bond and become loyal friends who rely on each other when the rest of the world tries to beat them down.

"Outlander" season 3 will take place years after season 2, with Claire back in her proper time period and with her first husband, and Jamie still in the past and now suffering his loss at the Battle of Culloden. Season 3 will see them attempt to rebuild their lives while also trying to get back together across distances and time.

"Outlander" season 3 premieres in 2017.

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