It’s official: Outlander, from Battlestar Galactica producer Ronald D. Moore, has found its Jamie Fraser.

Scottish actor Sam Heughan will play the role of the 18th-century clan lord. Fraser is a charismatic natural leader who begins a passionate affair with Claire Randall, a married combat nurse who is mysteriously transported back in time from 1945 London.

The 16-episode Starz series is an adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling novels. Gabaldon herself is immensely pleased with the decision to cast Heughan: via TVLine, she has stated, “Having seen Sam Heughan not just act, but be Jamie, I feel immensely grateful to the production team for their painstaking attention to the soul of the story and characters.”

Heughan has previously appeared on Doctors, Party Animals and Island at War.

Production on the series will begin later this year in Scotland.