The rumors were true. In September, Scott Bakula told Bob Saget (RIP) that “significant conversations” were happening around a possible reboot of Quantum Leap, the beloved ’90s time-traveler series (pictured above) that starred Bakula and Dean Stockwell (also RIP).
As it turns out, it’s not exactly a reboot—it’s a sequel series, and NBC has ordered a pilot for it!
According to Variety, “In the new iteration, it’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.”
The pilot will be written and executive produced by Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt (co-showrunners of La Brea). Original Quantum Leap creator/executive producer Don Bellisario and narrator/executive producer Deborah Pratt are also executive producers on the new version, along with Blindspot creator Martin Gero, who tweeted his enthusiasm:
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Goliath
https://twitter.com/martingero/status/1481784289977012224
As Leah Schnelbach explained, Quantum Leap’s real mission was to build a better America. Schnelbach also has a lot of good ideas about what ought to happen should a reboot actually make it to the screen. (ed. note from Leah Schnelbach: Emmet Asher Perrin and I had a WHOLE CONVERSATION about this recently, and to sum up: Y’all better homage the shit out of Dean Stockwell! Make it queer! Stick to the plot-of-the-week structure! Make the new Al non-binary! Make them wear the most ridiculous clothes! Have the new Sam leap into the real Scott Bakula! Mae Martin somewhere, maybe, yes? Or Natasia Demetriou? Make America empathetic again!)
Getting a pilot order is no guarantee that a whole show will materialize, but it’s a key step in the process. The pressing question now is: Who will they cast to put right what once went wrong?
