NBC, traditionally the first broadcaster to unveil its fall lineup at the Upfronts, was once again the first network to place a series order with a pilot. It went to Quantum Leap, a reboot of the popular 1990s sci-fi drama starring Raymond Lee. (first photo above)
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As Deadline reported earlier this week in the Early Pilot Buzz story, Quantum Leap appeared as a lock on a stock pickup, with Lee poised to potentially become one of next season’s breakout stars. It’s NBC’s only 2022 drama pilot being considered for the fall schedule; two others, Unbroken and Blank Slate, were being evaluated for a November or mid-season launch. Unbroken is headlined by original Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula, who is not involved in the reboot.
I heard that the Quantum Leap pilot is going to undergo some reshoots. They are meant to relate to the direction, not the casting. The cast includes Raymond Lee, Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee.
The pickup will also likely be the first of several this season for projects based on popular IP, something broadcasters are increasingly coming to rely on in an uphill battle for eyeballs. The rookie spinoff is a frontrunner at ABC; the CW only has IP-based pilots with Walker: Independence, the 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 sequel series is set in the present. It’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett climbed into the Quantum Leap Accelerator and disappeared. Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in 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 serving as executive producers on their I Have an Idea! Entertainment, Bellisario for his Belisarius Productions and Gero through his Quinn’s House Productions.