ST. LOUIS–The series which made Kirkwood High School alum Scott Bakula a name in television and sci-fi circles is reportedly getting the reboot/sequel treatment.
The Hollywood Reporter and other outlets report that a project tied to Quantum Leap, which aired on NBC from 1989-1993, has been given a pilot order by the network. The time-travel drama starred Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a scientist who “finds himself trapped in the past, “leaping” into the bodies of different people on a regular basis and sorting out their problems whilst trying to get back home to his own time.”
The new hook? “It’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) 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,” THR reports.
It’s not clear if Bakula would be involved in the reboot. He talked about the potential of a reboot in an podcast with the late Bob Saget last year.
His longtime co-star on the original show, Dean Stockwell, died in November. Bakula paid tribute in an Instagram post after Stockwell passed away.
“I met Dean at his audition for Quantum Leap in 1988. He had agreed to ‘read’ for the Network, I was already cast. We connected immediately and my career and my life were changed that day in Brandon Tartikoff’s office. How lucky were we to get him? A few months later he would be nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Married to the Mob, but he was stuck with us. Serendipity? All I know is, he never tried to get out or complain, he loved the role and the show and the rest was history.
He became a dear friend and a mentor and we grew very close over the next five, very intense years. Dean was such a passionate man…about life, his work, his art(he was an amazing artist!), his family, all kinds of causes, people, music, the planet, cigars, golf, and on and on! Having been a famous child actor, he had a soft spot for every young actor who came on our set. He was very protective of their rights and safety and always checked in with them to make sure that they were ok. His big hearted response to the kids made all of us take notice and be better guardians ourselves.
In spite of having a career that came and went several times during his seventy plus years in the business, he was always grateful and delighted to have the chance to keep working. The only time he ever complained was when we called him on the golf course and told him we were ready for him to come to work! He used to announce his presence on the sound stage(if we hadn’t already caught a whiff of cigar smoke trailing in behind him), with a bellowed, “The fun starts now!” Truer words were never spoken.”
I loved him dearly and was honored to know him. He made me a better human being…