'Outlander' season 3 air date, spoilers: Sam Heughan teases changes in upcoming season

"Outlander" fans are currently enduring Droughtlander as the series' third season is not expected to arrive until 2017. Thankfully, the cast and crew of the show have been generous in dishing out details while production is currently ongoing. Recently, Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser, teased the events of the upcoming season.

In an interview with PopSugar, Heughan revealed that season 3 will deviate slightly from "Voyager," the third book in Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" that serves as the source material of the upcoming season.

"We always try to stick as close as we can to the books, but obviously it's hard to make a book episodic. I think there is going to be stuff in there that the fans will recognize since we put in as much detail as possible, but there's some really incredible moments. Certainly the beginning of season three is a slight deviation from the book," Heughan revealed.

"Outlander" has always remained faithful to the narrative in Gabaldon's books. However, in order to translate the material onto the screen, taking creative liberties cannot be avoided.

Back in November, executive producer Matthew B. Roberts came under fire after teasing a page from the script. While the image posted on Twitter was obscured, it could be surmised that the script was for the highly-anticipated reunion of Jamie and Claire (Caitriona Balfe). Fans were disappointed with the line, "Jamie ENTERS," as in the novel, Jamie was already inside the print shop when Claire makes her entrance.

Roberts was disappointed by the reaction of fans as it seemed like they were not trusting of the crew. He also cautioned that continuing to doubt the process will not help.

"I hope that after 29 episodes we have engendered some goodwill & trust," he said via Twitter, adding, "Guessing can only cause angst."

Aside from a slight change in the reunion scene, Heughan revealed that the first part of the season will focus on the Battle of Culloden. The events following his separation from Claire will be crucial as it sets the stage for the 20 years that they will spend without each other.

According to Heughan, Jamie fully believed that he would die at the end of season 2. Furthermore, he finds that there is no point in living without Claire. In the years that they are separated and believing that the other is dead, "He has to learn to fight again, and find purpose in his life."

However, despite the passage of time, the great love and bond that they share will remain and will make their reunion all the more special.

Season 3 of "Outlander" will air on Starz in 2017.