'Outlander' season 3 release date, plot news update: Lord John Grey spin-off story to be incorporated?

"Outlander" season 3 will feature a little bit of Lord John Grey after all. Sam Heughan, who plays protagonist Jamie Fraser, revealed that one of the books centered on the character will be featured in the new season.

Speaking to Philly.com, the actor implied that "The Scottish Prisoner," one of the Diana Gabaldon's spinoff books featuring Lord John Grey, could be adapted to some extent.

"The Scottish Prisoner" sees Jamie as a "parole prisoner of war." He longs for his wife and has given up war until Lord John Grey entered the picture.

The two find themselves on a journey to Ireland, "a country whose dark castles hold dreadful secrets, and whose bogs hide the bones of the dead," as per the description for the book.

For "Outlander" season 3, Lord John Grey will be played by David Berry as he will be much older in the upcoming season due to the timeline the story is set. The character was a kid in the second season.

Since "Outlander" season 3 will follow Gabaldon's third novel "Voyager," where Lord John Grey was a protagonist, fans can expect a considerable amount of screen time for the character.

Fans who love Lord John Grey (and there are a lot of them for sure, thanks to his popularity) will certainly be happy about the news.

Spoiler Alert! The following contains potential spoilers for "Outlander" season 3. Proceed only if you wish to know more.

In the books, Lord John Grey actually develops romantic feelings for Jamie, who did not reciprocate those feelings. It remains a mystery if the show will feature that readily.

"Outlander" season 3 also sees Jamie and Claire (Catriona Balfe) separated 20 years in time. This will allow both of them to discover themselves outside of the relationship.

They won't be apart on the whole duration of the season although there's no word as to how long it will be before they reunite once more.

"Outlander" season 3 is expected to premiere next year on Starz. Heughan has hinted in a recent Facebook Live Q and A that filming alone will wrap up May 2017.