Richard Rankin lands lead in a Scottish crime drama

Outlander may be coming to an end, but the actors won’t be out of work for too long. Richard Rankin has landed the lead in a new Scottish series.

Outlander Season 8 is going to be the last. It’s therefore not too surprising to see that the main actors are looking at other projects. Richard Rankin is the most recent to land the lead role in a new series coming to the UK.

He will play Inspector John Rebus in the Viaplay reboot of the UK drama. John Hannah originally played the role 20 years ago, with Ken Scott then taking it on. Deadline reported the news, although didn’t say when filming would start or when we could expect the series.

What is the new Richard Rankin series about?

Rankin will take on the role of the titular character from Sir Ian Rankin’s novels. No, the two are not related. At least, not that they know of. Richard Rankin was born Richard Harris and took his mom’s maiden name for acting to avoid confusion with the already-known at the time Richard Harris.

Back to this new series, though. The show will follow John Rebus, a 40-year-old inspector who is at a psychological crossroads after he faces an Edinburgh ganger. He is also struggling in his personal life, with his ex-wife’s wealthy new husband getting in the way of a relationship with his daughter. Rebus struggles with whether there is a place for him in the force or in his family.

Don’t worry about losing Rankin in Outlander Season 8. It’s clear that he is there for that story to the end. This will be like Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe taking on other roles during breaks in filming.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on Rebus and any other projects for Outlander actors.