Filming for Virgin River season six is well underway, and the show has revealed an exciting new role for its star Martin Henderson, who plays Jack Sheridan in the Netflix romance drama.

Taking to social media, the show’s official Instagram account announced that Martin will be making his directorial debut during the season.

Alongside a photo from the set in Vancouver, which sees the actor sitting in his director’s chair whilst holding a clapper board, the caption read: “Our very own Martin Henderson is having his directorial debut this season of Virgin River!”

Fans were overjoyed with the news and took to the comments section to share their excitement. One person wrote: “OMG!!! I was so excited for this season and this made me even more excited!! Congratulations @martinhendersonofficial you will do great, and can’t wait to see what is in store for season 6!!” while another penned: “Congratulations Martin! Very excited to see your work!”

© COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Season five newcomer Kandyse McClure, who plays Kaia, penned: “We will follow you anywhere Hendo!” while Colin Lawrence, who plays Preacher, added: “Rock n’ Roll brother!”

Filming for season six began back in February and is expected to continue until May. The news was announced on the drama’s Instagram account, which shared a snap of Martin and his co-star Alexandra Breckenridge holding a clapper board. The caption read: “It’s official! Virgin River season 6 is back in production!”

While an official synopsis has yet to be released for the upcoming season, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith previously confirmed that the new episodes will take place a few months after season five’s festive specials, which ended on a huge cliffhanger when Mel’s father turned up on her doorstep with “something important” to tell her.

The upcoming episodes will explore Mel’s relationship with her dad, who is carrying a “long-held secret”.

Hinting at what fans can expect from the new series, Patrick told Tudum: “Mel and Jack will advance on their path to parenthood while also turning Lilly’s farm into their ultimate dream home.”

© Netflix

He also revealed that fan-favorite characters such as Preacher, Brady and Kaia will be exploring “new directions”. “Brady will be volunteering at the Virgin River fire station under Fire Chief Kaia, who is pulled into Preacher’s past sins,” he said, adding that fans will see some “returning favorites from the past”.

While Netflix has yet to announce a release date for the new season, we’d expect the episodes to premiere in early 2025.