Outlander favourite lands dark new role in upcoming serial killer series
The Outlander star will be completely transformed
One of the stars of hit series Outlander will be taking on a very different role, it has been announced.
Laura Donnelly, better known to legion of Outlander fans as the hot-headed Jenny Murray, will be starring in a dark new series.
The 43-year-old Belfast-born star taking on the lead role of Detective Monica Kennedy in Scottish crime drama The Dark.
The detective series begins with the body of a man found morbidly staged in the Scottish wilderness.
Detective Kennedy fears it could just be the start of a harrowing campaign hitting the heart of a rural community.
Suspicions will arise as buried secrets are uncovered and the locals realise the killer is hiding in plain sight amongst them.
The Dark is based on GR Halliday’s novel From the Shadows and there are hopes the show will become a returning series.
Author Halliday has already written two more novels in the trilogy: Dark Waters and Under the Marsh.
Playwright Matt Hartley, who also counts credits on EastEnders and Hollyoaks, will be writing the script for The Dark.
Telly fans can get seven days of free access to binge top series like Outlander: Blood of My Blood with a free trial of Amazon Prime's MGM+ channel.
Filming on the programme will take place in and around Glasgow later this year, reports Deadline.
Additionally casting on The Dark is taking place with more names to be announced in due course.
Donnelly is following in the footsteps of two of her Outlander alumnus Richard Rankin and Lauren Lyle, who lead their own Scottish detective shows Rebus and ITV’s Karen Pirie respectively.
Donnelly was part of Outlander between 2014 and 2017, before the show moved from Scotland to North America, leaving many characters behind.
Her character Jenny was the sister of central protagonist Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), with the two characters often at odds.
Although the most recent season of Outlander saw a return to Scotland, Donnelly didn’t return to the show to reprise her role, much to fans’ disappointment.
Instead, actress Kristin Atherton was re-cast in the role of Jenny Murray for season seven of the Starz drama.
Since departing from Outlander, Donnelly has carved out a successful career on screen and on the stage.
She appeared in HBO’s The Nevers, FX’s Say Nothing, and Marvel series Werewolf by Night, while she collaborated with her playwright husband Jez Butterworth on The Ferryman which won her an Olivier Award. She was also nominated for two Tonys for The Ferryman and The Hills of California.
She will next be appearing with Colin Farrell in the Apple TV+ series Sugar, according to IMDb.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on Starz in the USA and on Saturdays on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK
Outlander season 8 will air on Starz and MGM+ via Prime Video in early 2026