Outlander star Caitríona Balfe joins a cast that includes two Marvel stars in a movie based on a remarkable true story. The role comes as fans eagerly await Outlander season 8, which marks the end of the long-running series featuring Balfe as Claire Fraser. Balfe has been playing Claire since the hit Starz show based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels first debuted in 2014. While she is best known for her Outlander role, Balfe has also starred in Ford v Ferrari, Belfast, and the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Balfe has been cast in Apple Original Films’ Tenzing, which is based on the real-life story of the Nepalese mountaineer Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, as he and New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary became the first to successfully reach Mount Everest’s summit. Balfe is set to play a friend of Tenzing’s, Jill Henderson, who helps organize the trips up Mount Everest. Marvel stars Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe are already part of Tenzing‘s cast, with Hiddleston playing Hillary and Dafoe playing Colonel John Hunt. The film is directed by Jennifer Peedom, who previously helmed the 2015 documentary Sherpa.

What This Means For Caitríona Balfe

Her Post-Outlander Career Begins To Take Shape

With filming having already wrapped on Outlander season 8, Tenzing marks one of Balfe’s first roles in the aftermath of the Starz show that has largely defined her career. As a friend of Tenzing and as the person who organizes the trips up Mount Everest, Jill Henderson is an important character, although she will not be the primary focus of the movie, which will be on Tenzing and Hillary. Balfe’s part will not be as prominent as Claire in Outlander, but she will still be a vital part of the story.

Peedom’s knowledge from her documentary Sherpa and her history of working with the Sherpa community will also be essential for Balfe’s character. This is because the real-life Henderson organized Sherpa teams for expeditions, and this will factor into the journey that Tenzing and Hillary undertake. Henderson will be quite a different role compared to Claire, and will help pave the way for Balfe’s post-Outlander career.

Our Take On Caitríona Balfe Being Cast In Tenzing

Her Career Will Continue To Be Exciting After Outlander

Balfe has been vital to the success of all Outlander‘s seasons, bringing compᴀssion, vulnerability, and courage to Claire that has made her a riveting character to watch. As someone who has enjoyed her acting in Outlander and her voicing the Gelfling Tavra in the underrated Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, I am intrigued by her role in Tenzing. Outlander is the role she will probably always be best known for, but she will continue to excel in Tenzing and in all other projects that she joins.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline