Quantum Leap: Scott Bakula said it was a difficult decision to pass on the reboot

Even since the Quantum Leap reboot was first announced, there’s been one question on the minds of fans… would Scott Bakula return as Sam Beckett? Unfortunately, it seems that the answer to that question is no. Scott Bakula took to Instagram to set the rumours to rest about his involvement in the new Quantum Leap series.

“Here’s the simple version of what’s going on with the Quantum Leap reboot and me,” Bakula wrote. “I have no connection with the new show, either in front of the camera or behind it.” The actor went on to explain that he was sent a script for the pilot in January that did include the character of Sam Beckett, but that he ultimately decided to pass on the project.

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? As so many of you have been asking me the last several months, “How could you do QL without Sam?”(or Al, for that matter) Well, I guess we’re about to find out.

Scott Bakula continued, “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.” Although Bakula won’t be involved, he said that he’s crossing his 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!” Although Scott Bakula isn’t currently involved, I still believe that he will appear at some point during the series, assuming it lasts long enough.

The new Quantum Leap series follows a 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. Raymond Lee stars as Dr. Ben Seong, a world-renowned physicist and man of faith who finds himself stuck in the late 1980s with amnesia after using the Quantum leap technology on himself. Caitlin Bassett also stars as Addison, who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see or hear; Mason Alexander Park as Ian Wright, who runs the AI unit Ziggy; Nanrisa Lee as Jenn Chou, head of Digital Security for the Quantum Leap project; and Ernie Hudson as Herbert “Magic” Williams, a Vietnam veteran and head of the time travel project at Quantum Leap.

The official synopsis for Quantum Leap:

It’s been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project. Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it.

Quantum Leap will debut on NBC on September 19th.