‘Quantum Leap’ Reboot Picked Up To Series By NBC
NBC, traditionally the first broadcast network to present its fall lineup at the upfronts, again became the first net to give a series order to a pilot. It went to Quantum Leap, a reboot of the popular 1990s sci-fi drama, which stars Raymond Lee. See the first-look photo above.
As Deadline reported in the Early Pilot Buzz story this week, Quantum Leap appeared a lock for a series pickup, with Lee potentially poised to become one of the breakout stars of next season. It is NBC’s only 2022 drama pilot that was in consideration for the fall schedule; two others, Unbroken and Blank Slate, would be evaluated for a launch in November or midseason. Unbroken is headlined by Scott Bakula, star of the original Quantum Leap, who is not involved in the reboot.
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I hear the Quantum Leap pilot will undergo some reshoots and is eyed for the post-Voice time slot. They are said to be related to the direction, not casting. In addition to Lee, the cast also includes Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee.
The pickup likely also will be the first of several this season for projects based on popular IP, something the broadcast networks rely more and more in an uphill battle for eyeballs. The Rookie spinoff is a frontrunner at ABC; the CW only has IP-based pilots with Walker: Independence, Supernatural prequel The Winchesters and Gotham Knights.
Written and executive produced by Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt and executive produced by Martin Gero as well as Quantum Leap creator/EP Don Bellisario and EP/co-narrator Deborah Pratt, the follow-up series is set in present day. 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 series is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, with Lilien and Wynbrandt exec producing for their I Have an Idea! Entertainment, Bellisario for his Belisarius Productions, and Gero via his Quinn’s House Productions.
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