Original Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula has explained that he passed on the chance to be in the upcoming reboot – but not quite why he chose not to be.
Appearing on Twitter, the 67-year-old actor addressed the elephant in the room – is Dr. Sam Beckett back for the Quantum Leap reboot?
“I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it,” he explained across a series of tweets. “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?”
(1/5) To Quantum Leap fans around the world, in an effort to quiet the rumors and move on…
— Scott Bakula (@ScottBakula) September 15, 2022
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: pic.twitter.com/IY04yl6ReU
That’s right – Dr. Sam Beckett was supposed to return for the new Quantum Leap show, but Bakula passed on the role, for reasons he doesn't quite explain.
“As so many of you have been asking me the last several months: ‘How could you do [Quantum Leap] 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."
While he hasn't explained his reasons for declining the show, Bakula does still seem enthused by the idea of the reboot:
"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!”
It’s unknown how Bakula would have factored into the show – after all, the last time we saw Sam Beckett, things ended on a rather bleak note. The show’s final episode was a wild ride, and one of the greatest final episodes in TV history.
After encountering a man who may be God in the form of bartender Al (Bruce McGill), Beckett faces one of his weirdest leaps since the series began. By the end of the episode, we’re told what actually happened – “Dr. Sam Becket never returned home”.
However it might have happened, this is one wrong that the Quantum Leap reboot won’t be able to right. At least, not in its first series.
The Quantum Leap reboot stars Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Seong alongside Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park, and Nanrisa Lee. The new show will follow “a new team that has been assembled to restart the Quantum Leap project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the accelerator and vanished.”
Want to read more about Quantum Leap? Check out the new Quantum Leap trailer and find out more about the upcoming time-traveling TV show.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/quantum-leap-star-says-he-passed-on-appearing-in-the-new-series