Well, the evidence is mounting that the new ‘Quantum Leap’ reboot is going to be an identity politics nightmare. Three more actors have been cast in the reboot, along side Raymond Lee, who plays Dr. Ben Seong, and it looks like That Hash Tag Show was right with NBC’s casting call that race and gender swap Sam Beckett and Al Calavicci, and call for every other character to be of a certain race or gender. Nanrisa Lee of ‘Bosch’ fame, Mason Alexander Park , of ‘Cowboy Bepop’ and newcomer Caitlin Bassett, will play head of security at Quantum Leap headquarters, chief architect of Quantum Leap’s AI program, and project lead at Quantum leap HQ, respectively. Ernie Hudson has also signed on to play Herbert “Magic” Williams, who will be the analog similar to Dean Stockwell’s character in the original series. This NBC reboot pilot is sounding more and more like a departure from the original show, every time new details or casting are revealed. It’s apparent that white males need not apply, and this new ‘Quantum Leap’ will be the poster child for diversity and inclusion. At least we have the original to watch and reminisce about what could have been.
A Smorgasbord of Representation
The following is from That Hashtag Show as well, and gives us what the NBC casting call was looking for in the pilot reboot.
Dr. Ben Prassad – (Recently cast by Raymond Lee who will now be Dr. Ben Seong) is a first-generation American, a world-renowned physicist, and a man of faith. He’s also working on Quantum Leap, a time travel project. But when he uses the project on himself, he’s transported back to the late 80s and struck with a bout of amnesia – forgetting what made him time travel in the first place.
The casting for Ben calls for a man in his mid 30s to early 40s, of Middle Eastern and North African or Asian/Pacific American descent..
Addison – Addison is a smart, witty, fearless ex-military operative who now serves as a project lead at Quantum Leap HQ. She’s in charge of the technology they use to communicate with the past, and tries to rescue Ben from his time-flung existence.
The open-ethnicity casting for Addison calls for a woman in her 30s.
Ian Wright – Quantum Leap’s nonbinary chief architect of the AI program, who prefers the company of computers to that of other people.
The open-ethnicity casting calls for a person in their 20s, and encourages non-binary actors to submit.
Herbert “Magic” Williams – A Vietnam vet and current head of the time travel project at Quantum Leap. Herbert “Magic” Williams uses his no-nonsense personality and aura of control to keep the Pentagon at bay while the team tries to rescue Ben.
The casting calls for a black man in his 60s.
Jenn – Head of security at Quantum Leap HQ. Described as quirky but formidable, she makes it her mission to figure out how Ben could have both leapt back in time and erased all evidence of the leap in the future.
Why is NBC Hiring Based on Race and Gender
Why is NBC looking for specific races and genders to play these characters in the ‘Quantum Leap’ reboot? Why couldn’t there be a casting call for the most talented and qualified, devoid of race and gender requirements? It looks very agenda driven, and in my opinion, will be hard to explain away to fans of the original ‘Quantum Leap’. NBC is advertising, through that casting call, that diversity and inclusion are front and center. It serves as a distraction, and will only give die hard fans a bad taste in their mouths, that are already seeing much of their franchises taken over by identity politics. For example, Ian Wright’s character is described as non-binary, and NBC’s casting call specifically encourages a non-binary actor apply. That Hash Tag Show was spot on, and Mason Alexander Park, a non-binary actor, was cast in the role. Can’t anyone act the part of a non-binary person? Isn’t that what actors do, as Ian McKellen said a few days ago…we act, we pretend? You really box yourself in, and potentially lose out on some great talent when you have such specific requirements. This is not a slight in the least of Mason Alexander Park and his talent. It’s just factual evidence of NBC’s agenda in their casting requirements. In my opinion, NBC is inviting an avoidable controversy.
Related: Another Woke Takedown
As Usual…Sacrificing Story for Representation
I think NBC is going to sacrifice the magic the original had, for a forced diversity that the fans don’t want to see, resulting in the fans tuning out. When the executive producers and show runners were writing and plotting this ‘Quantum Leap’ pilot, were they writing for diversity and inclusion? I’m not a professional, but I would think that your story should take precedence over anything else…but what do I know? Maybe NBC will get lucky and have a great show on their hands. But, I doubt it, when you’re emphasizing representation over story. I guess they will be able to hold their heads high, and say they made something that was so inclusive, they forgot about the fans.
