Outlander creator Diana Gabaldon has opened up about when she thinks the TV show could end if not all of her ten books are adapted for the small screen - and we have a feeling more than a few fans will be disappointed.
MORE: Is this Outlander fan favourite returning for season seven?
In a recent interview with The Times, the American author revealed that discussions have been held between her and the Starz show's creators about possibly contriving an alternative ending for TV audiences if that is the case. She also dropped the bombshell news that the upcoming seventh season - which is currently being filmed on location in Scotland - could be Outlander's very last because, as it stands, the show has not been renewed beyond that.
WATCH: Outlander's Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe show off chemistry in first screen test
"I'm amazed and pleased that it has run for seven seasons," she said when asked about the show's future. "We have had talks with showrunners about potential endings. We came to a few conditional conclusions. But we won't know until we get further down the road."
MORE: 5 questions we desperately need answering in Outlander season seven
MORE: Outlander fans go wild after confirmation that these book characters will appear in season seven
Referencing the fact that the future is still up in the air as Starz has not yet greenlit another season, Diana continued: "If we have a season eight that would be totally great, and if we don't get a season eight, then the seven we have are really good, and we can contrive a reasonable ending if that should be the case. We keep our fingers crossed. It's rare for a hit series to go that long."
Speculation that the show could end with its next season has been rife following the comments of some of the cast members as well the fact that both lead stars, Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe have caught the eye of casting directors and been cast in a number of roles over the last few years.
MORE: Outlander's Sam Heughan reveals secret Diana Gabaldon asked him to keep from Caitríona Balfe
While Caitríona came close to winning a BAFTA for her role in Kenneth Branagh's critically acclaimed Belfast, Sam is currently starring in Channel 4 drama Suspect and has a number of other projects in the pipeline.
Last year, Caitríona told Deadline that ending the show with season seven could make sense as "it would be ten years" since it began. She continued: "We all feel like we're so lucky that we've gone this far. Who knows what happens after that, but how lucky we've been, right?"
Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.