Posted in: NBC, Preview, Trailer, TV | Tagged: nbc, preview, quantum leap, Raymond Lee, scott bakula, trailer

Scott Bakula Has "No Connection" with Quantum Leap Revival Whatsoever

With less than a week to go until NBC's Raymond Lee-starring Quantum Leap hits our screens with S01E01 "July 13th, 1985," we've already been told how the revival series sees a new team assembled to restart the Quantum Leap project. But things take a turn fast when lead physicist Ben Song (Lee) takes an unauthorized leap into 1985 as the team scrambles to figure out what happened and how to get him back. But the biggest question mark surrounding the series (on and off the screen) is what role Dr. Sam Beckett and his real-life counterpart, Scott Bakula, will play. Well, according to Bakula? None… on both counts.

"I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it," Bakula confirmed in his post. "In January, the pilot was sold, and a script was sent to me because the character of Sam Beckett was in it, which makes sense, right? From there, Bakula says it was "a very difficult decision to pass on the project," a decision that he understands "has upset and confused so many fans of the original series." Bakula chose to star in & executive produce the NBC drama pilot Unbroken, which ended up not going to series. But even though he passed on joining the revival series, Bakula is wishing nothing but the best for Lee & the team. "I am crossing my fingers that this new cast and crew are lucky enough to tap into the magic that propelled the original 'Quantum Leap' into the hearts and minds of generations past and present," Bakula added. "I wish them good luck and happy leaping!" Here's a look at Bakula's Instagram post, along with the full text of the caption (and followed by Bakula's Twitter response).

To Quantum Leap fans around the world, in an effort to quiet the rumors and move on…

First of all, thanks for hanging around through the decades!

Here's the simple version of what's going on with the Quantum Leap reboot and me:

I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it.

In January, the pilot was sold, and a script was sent to me because the character of Sam Beckett was in it, which makes sense, right? As so many of you have been asking me the last several months, "How could you do QL without Sam?"(or Al, for that matter) Well, I guess we're about to find out.

That's the story. As the show has always been near and dear to my heart, it was a very difficult decision to pass on the project, a decision that has upset and confused so many fans of the original series. However, the idea of anyone 'leaping' around in time and walking a mile in someone else's shoes remains a very appealing concept and so worthy of exploration, especially given the current state of mankind. In that spirit, I am crossing my fingers that this new cast and crew are lucky enough to tap into the magic that propelled the original Quantum Leap into the hearts and minds of generations past and present.

I wish them good luck and happy leaping!

SB

With the series set to hit NBC screens beginning on September 19th, here's a look at the official trailer for Quantum Leap:

It's been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it. Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Ben's side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She's a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.

At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert "Magic" Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won't be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit "Ziggy," and Jenn Chou (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project. As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian, and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben's leap and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.

Lee's Dr. Ben Seong is a world-renowned physicist and a man of faith who makes a literal leap of faith that finds him lost… and without his memory. Hudson's Herbert "Magic" Williams (Hudson) is a Vietnam veteran and the head of the Quantum Leap project. He uses his political and military know-how to keep the Pentagon at bay while his team works to rescue Ben. Caitlin Bassett's Addison is a project lead at Quantum Leap headquarters who operates state-of-the-art technology to communicate with an individual time traveling in the past, likely similar to how the original series saw Admiral Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) communicate with Sam via hologram. Nanrisa Lee's Jenn is Quantum Leap's head of security, while Mason Alexander Park's Ian is the chief architect of Quantum Leap's A.I. program. Recently, it was announced that Georgina Reilly (City On A Hill) had joined the series in a key recurring role. Now here's a look at two recently-released mini-teasers for the September 19th premiere of NBC's Quantum Leap:

Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt co-wrote & executive produced the pilot, with Blindspot creator Martin Gero (now the series new showrunner), original series creator/EP Don Bellisario, and EP/co-narrator Deborah Pratt. Helen Shaver (Station Eleven, Lovecraft Country, Orphan Black) had been tapped to executive produce and direct the pilot. While not currently attached to either reprise his role or produce in some way, Bakula has apparently had conversations about returning (Stockwell passed away in November 2021 at the age of 85). Universal Television (a division of Universal Studio Group) will produce the pilot alongside Lilien & Wynbrandt's I Have an Idea! Entertainment, Bellisario's Belisarius Productions, and Gero's Quinn's House Productions.

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