If all goes well, the Quantum Leap reboot pilot in development at NBC is just the start of an expansive new franchise. Serving as a direct continuation of the original series, the pilot will follow an all-new cast of characters experimenting with the same leaping technology that saw Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) vanish many years ago. Perhaps they're looking for answers or presuming things will turn out differently this time.
The pilot will primarily follow Raymond Lee (Kevin Can F*** Himself, Top Gun: Maverick) as the new lead character Dr. Ben Seong. The new main cast also includes Ernie Hudson as Vietnam vet Herbert "Magic" Williams, Caitlin Bessett as Army vet Addison, Nanrisa Lee as head of security Jenn, and Mason Alexander Park as Ian, the chief architect of Quantum Leap's A.I. program. In a new interview with The Companion, original series star, producer, and writer Deborah M. Pratt, who serves as an executive producer on the reboot pilot, speaks about the new show's cast of characters and how they all work together to create an homage to the classic series.
"Raymond Lee is South Korean, and he's playing Ben Seong. I think that's a huge step forward that will bring in more global storylines. I can't tell you his backstory and all that kind of stuff, but the episode is a true Quantum Leap episode and it's an homage to the series in that sense. The characters that they have created for the show, I feel like, are strong and interesting."
Pratt also speaks about how the reboot will open the door for the Quantum Leap team to pursue new creative possibilities. In fact, she feels that there is enough story potential here to extend beyond this new reboot with spinoff shows and even tie-in Quantum Leap movies. Of course, it will be up to the fans and whether they embrace the reboot as warmly as they had the original Quantum Leap.
"I think it brings so many new elements. And I go back to Star Trek. Everything that Star Trek can do, Quantum Leap can do. I think we should do a series of movies, I think we should do a series of series, and this is very much the first step into that world. And it will be up to the fans."
Quantum Leap Reboot Would Likely Answer What Really Happened to Sam Beckett
One of television history's greatest mysteries is what happened to Scott Bakula's Dr. Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap. The series did not really receive a proper ending, concluding with a cliffhanger that simply tells the fans with a title card that Beckett "never returned home." It was a disappointing way to end the story for fans who'd invested into Dr. Beckett's journey with the hope that he'd one day find way his way back. But as the reboot will apparently reveal, Dr. Beckett is still out there, leaping, but maybe this new team will find some answers... or even Dr. Beckett himself.
The pilot has not been officially ordered to series as of now, and there's no release date set for the Quantum Leap reboot.