What If...You HAD TO recast QL

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Kal-El

Project QL Intern
Nov 3, 2005
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With news that George Clooney & Vince Vaughn are contenders to play Thomas Magnum in the planned 2007 theatrical movie version of one of Don Bellisario's other creations 'Magnum PI'

It firstly begs the question, Why don't they just use Tom Selleck? After missing out on becoming a bonefide big A list "movie star" playing Indianna Jones due to his forced commitment to the show, he is now going to miss out on playing Magnum in the big screen version of said show because he's not a bonefide big A list celebrity (this is the definition of irony)

Secondly, it begs the question, IF they were going to make a big screen version of Bellisarios other (and much better) show - Quantum Leap and they HAD TO recast the roles of Sam Beckett & Al Calivicci with big A list celebrity movie stars, who would you pick?

Please note: i emphasized HAD TO, so no "i would never recast these roles" or "i'd prefer if they didn't make the movie at all if they're going to recast" Lets assume they are making a movie and they are recasting it (wether you like it or not) and you're the casting director...who would you choose...

My Choices:
Sam Beckett: Clive Owen (Sin City, Closer)

Other contenders: Tom Hanks, Viggo Mortensen

Al Calivicci: Al Pacino

Other contender: Billy Bob Thorton
 
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Very interesting question. I'd have to think on that one a bit...

If I think of anyone, I'll post it here.

Damon
 
Al-ternate actor

Under duress, but I think if I had not seen Dean make the role so much his own, Anthony Hopkins would have made a good Al.
He is a very versatile actor, despite being branded as Hannibal Lecter in most people's minds.

As for Sam, that is going to take a bit more thought, but 'Tom Hanks' ugh, no thank you!
 
Sam: no idea... maybe, er, Michael Shanks? Not an A-list actor, though... Honestly, I really don't know...

Al: I kinda like that idea of Pacino; for some reason, I keep seeing Kevin Kline popping into my head...

Joy

PS: I still think they shoulda had George Clooney as Jim West in the '99 Wild Wild West movie; Sonnenfeld was an idiot for passing on him!

PPS: I'd rather see George as Magnum than Vince (*shudders*).
 
tina_als_girl said:
Sam: no idea... maybe, er, Michael Shanks? Not an A-list actor, though... Honestly, I really don't know...

Al: I kinda like that idea of Pacino; for some reason, I keep seeing Kevin Kline popping into my head...

Joy

PS: I still think they shoulda had George Clooney as Jim West in the '99 Wild Wild West movie; Sonnenfeld was an idiot for passing on him!

PPS: I'd rather see George as Magnum than Vince (*shudders*).
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Yeah, Michael Shanks is underrated, I think he could play Sam sympathetically (though the role will always be Scott's in my mind and in my heart).

And definitely George for Magnum.
 
Maybe Robin Williams for Al. Maybe Tommy Lee Jones, or Sean Connery

Tom Hanks as Sam would work. Maybe James Woods

John Travolta could work as either charecter.

I don't know, I just see Scott as Sam and Dean as Al. Andybody else would just seem like a letdown.
 
Some new thoughts:

* The Magnum PI DVD's must have sold really, REALLY well to justify a movie version...shame we can't say the same about QL...

*I don't know if Bellisario is involved with the movie as a writer and/or executive producer - but it's just another thing to take his time away from a possible QL project...

...But on the positive side maybe if he is involved in both capacities and the movie is a BIG, BIG BOX OFFICE SENSATION, then Universal Studios will be like "Don, what other tv shows of yours can you translate to the big screen for us..."

Highly unlikely, but hey, maybe my little hypothetical won't be so hypothetical after all...

Ok so, we got some good suggestions so far for the two leads.
What A-lister's would you hire for...
*Donna
*Beth
*Gooshie

My choices, in order:
* Jodi Foster


* Kristin Scott Thomas


* William H Macy
 
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Kal-El said:
* The Magnum PI DVD's must have sold really, REALLY well to justify a movie version...shame we can't say the same about QL...
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Not to go off-topic, but I don't think that it's because of the DVD sales that a movie is being made. I think it has more to do with the fact that Hollywood has been completely out of ideas for years now, hence why there are mostly remakes, biopics, sequels, movies based on true stories, and resurrected franchises. And that's a large reason why I barely ever go to the movies anymore. To be fair, every once in a while something original comes along, though. OK, end rant. :)
 
Kal-El said:
Ok so, we got some good suggestions so far for the two leads.
What A-lister's would you hire for...
*Donna
*Beth
*Gooshie
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Okay, now THIS one is interesting...

For Donna, funnily enough, Teri Hatcher could do it! She's a definite A-lister nowadays with Desperate Housewives.

For Beth, I kinda see Catherine Zeta-Jones as the younger version (or even older, with the magic of make-up).

For Gooshie, Philip Seymour Hoffman jumps to mind (probably based on my only experience of watching him in a movie, and that's "Twister"). Or maybe Gallagher?

Joy
 
Michael Shanks(nods head). I can't tell you how many times I've pictured Michael Shanks playing his Daniel Jackson character in an alternate version of QL. Therefore, I guess I could get used to Shanks playing Sam Beckett. I've also to admit that I sometimes picture Amanda Tapping as Dr. Samantha "Sam" Carter in QL with Jackson as her observer. Yes, in my mind, he would make a good QL character. Maybe Amanda Tapping and RDA(=Richard Dean Anderson). The latter still being Colonel/General O'Neill as the observer. He is just more like Al IMO.(e.g. his dismissiveness when it comes to the technical things about the project) What if the Air Force was in charge of PQL?

A-List actors:

I think John Travolta would make a good Al, not Sam. Billy Bob Thornton would be good too. For Al, that is. Oh, and don't forget Bruce McGill who was one of the candidates for Al when QL was being cast in the late 80s.

For Sam; Viggo Mortensen. I'll think of some more and post them later.

Steve
RossBeckett

P.S. Something to ponder: Nathaniel "Lothos" Lothoman as Goa'uld. ;)
 
For some reason, I'm picturing Matthew Broderick as Sam. Viggo would be a good candidate too. Dustin Hoffman is in my head too...prolly as Al. I'm on medication so my brain is all messed up. But those are my medicated choices.

Samantha Beckett
 
Samantha Beckett said:
For some reason, I'm picturing Matthew Broderick as Sam.
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Okay, with that, you just have to know the following was coming:

Matthew Broderick as Sam, Nathan Lane as Al.

It's *perfection*!

Joy

PS: Wouldn't it be cool if they made a broadway show out of QL and had Matthew and Nathan star? (or Scott reprising as Sam, and Nathan as Al [since we know that Dean isn't quite the singer his daddy was...]).
 
tina_als_girl said:
Matthew Broderick as Sam, Nathan Lane as Al.
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You know something? That IS a perfect combination! I could see that working as long as I suspend my disbelief that Nathan Lane is straight. :roflmao:

After thinking on it for some time, I sort of thought of Charles Grodin as Al. He was very funny in Midnight Run and The Great Muppet Caper. And even though MJ has him "virtually" cast as Lothos' former alter ego, Nathaniel Lothoman, I think Michael T. Weiss could probably portray a decent Sam Beckett. His role as Jared in The Pretender wasn't too far removed from the type of character that Sam was.

As for Al Pacino...yeah, I can kind of see that too. Actually, come to think of it, he'd make a great Lothos too. Evil personified, the devil incarnate...after watching Pacino in The Devil's Advocate, it ain't so hard to imagine. :bat

Damon
 
You know it didn't click until I read it here that the Teri Hatcher on Desperate Housewives was the same as the Teri Hatcher from Superman (and Quantum Leap). You're right, she would make an AWESOME Donna. I can just see her somehow ending up in the control room naked LMAO!

And while we're on the subject, why not have the girl who plays Teri Hatcher's daughter on Desperate Housewives play the daughter that Donna and Sam conceived when Sam made it home in the Leap Back.
 
As for Sammy Jo - I would love to see Jessica Alba playing that part (as long as she had darker hair so she looks more like Sam and Abigail.
 
Dman176 said:
You know something? That IS a perfect combination! I could see that working as long as I suspend my disbelief that Nathan Lane is straight. :roflmao:
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Well, I recently saw an old episode of "Mad About You" wherein Nathan played an old professor of Helen Hunt's and he was known for The Stare--he could simply stare at a woman and drive her to... um... yeah. I didn't really have difficulties beleiving him as a straight guy... Plus, he did a fine job in Producers playing straight-but-latently-gay (Max and Leo are SOOOO a couple! LOL They're just swimmin' in de Nile). I could believe him ogling Ulla.

So, I can definitely believe Nathan as a lady-ogling Al. Plus, remember that in the almost 100 episodes of QL, we only got to see Al actually HAVE a woman in ONE episode--kinda ironic, if ya ask me. It was ironically Sam the Prudent Prince who got all the action in the series.

Ya know, if Al Pacino played Al, I could almost see Johnny Depp as Sam (yes, I do believe he could pull it off--if he goes beardless and styles his hair kinda Finding Neverland-ish, he can pull off a sweet, innocent, smart Sam). I thought Johnny and Al's chemistry in Donnie Brasco was brilliant and I could so see them doing great as Sam and Al.

EDIT: For Sammy Jo, I'm not sure who I'd go with. As I did with The Mirror Shattered, I'd cast Jessica Alba as one of Al's daughters (though only if it were Dean or Pacino playing Al).

Joy
 
Although it was already mentioned, I can definitely see Viggo Mortensen as Sam and Al Pacino as Al. Having just watched A History Of Violence, I can definitely see Viggo as the kind, good-natured type of character who at the same time can be very convincing when he needs to defend himself. His look even kind of fits the profile too. And Al Pacino...well, he's just a versatile actor that I can definitely see telling stories and having the same sense of humor as Al.
 
I wouldn't mind seeing Jessica Alba (or for that matter Eliza Dushku) as Sammie Jo. But I have said it before and I will say it again. The only person I see as Sammie Jo is Jennifer Garner

As for Beth, I think Annabella Sciorra would be about Perfect for the role

Terri Hatcher is an obvious choice to play Donna since she already has once, But what do you guys think about Rene Russo as Donna? I could deffinatly see that working.

As for Gooshie, Tim Allen or Christopher Lloyd
 
naggindragon said:
As for Sammy Jo - I would love to see Jessica Alba playing that part (as long as she had darker hair so she looks more like Sam and Abigail.
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ugh.......no. She annoys me.

I agree with Tom about Sammy Jo, Jennifer Garner is a perfect choice.

Hehe, only because im watching "Bones", I'm thinking of David Boreanaz...he'd be a great Sam. We all know he can kick butt when he needs too, and he has good comic timing, and SEXY to boot! :drool

naggindragon said:
And while we're on the subject, why not have the girl who plays Teri Hatcher's daughter on Desperate Housewives play the daughter that Donna and Sam conceived when Sam made it home in the Leap Back.
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That's been my theory about any future stories and plot for any potential fanfics of mine, lol. (SHAMELESS SELF PLUGOSITY) I would be a good candidate, LOL. You know, aspiring actress and all. Okay, yeah right...moving on. Anne Hathaway wouldnt be a bad choice either.

Samantha Beckett
 
tina_als_girl said:
Ya know, if Al Pacino played Al, I could almost see Johnny Depp as Sam (yes, I do believe he could pull it off--if he goes beardless and styles his hair kinda Finding Neverland-ish, he can pull off a sweet, innocent, smart Sam). I thought Johnny and Al's chemistry in Donnie Brasco was brilliant and I could so see them doing great as Sam and Al.
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Much as I find the idea of someone else playing these roles distasteful, I have to admit I wouldn't mind seeing Depp as Sam...
 
ziggysego said:
If it was starting Quantum Leap from the beginning (as they do in most tv cum film revivals) then:

Sam Beckett: Tom Welling
Al Calavicci: Michael Keaton
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Tom Welling.......YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dreaming :dreaming :dreaming :dreaming :dreaming :dreaming :dreaming
Micheal Keaton........MAYBE (not a big fan of his)

Samantha Beckett
 
How about Zac Efron for Sam...Zac is the handsome young singer from Disney's High School Musical...he even reminds me of Scott in some ways...

As for Al...well, Dean is still alive...don't dump Dean :) ;)

I had an idea though...why don't they just go on with the regular story and Zac Efron could be Sam and Donna's child from the time Sam got to go home...nobody ever thought she might have gotten pregnant..lol! (at least I don't think they did..I haven't read every post on this site)
So, Zac could jump into the accelerator as Sam's son and Dean(Al) could still be helping him if he is still around when Sam's son grows up :) I'll have to post a pic of Zac ...
Anyway, I'm rambling...I get some strange ideas sometimes..hope it made sense
Sorry if I digressed from the original intent of the post...lol!
 
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QLEAP said:
\I had an idea though...why don't they just go on with the regular story and Zac Efron could be Sam and Donna's child from the time Sam got to go home...nobody ever thought she might have gotten pregnant..lol! (at least I don't think they did..I haven't read every post on this site)
So, Zac could jump into the accelerator as Sam's son and Dean(Al) could still be helping him if he is still around when Sam's son grows up
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I have had that idea! :D But I always had them have a girl named Samantha...but I have had and mentioned my theory about Donna getting pregnant after The Leap Back.

I love Zac Efron, he was fantastic in High School Musical. Id enjoy watching him...

Samantha Beckett
 
Thanks Samantha!:) Glad someone has heard of Zac:D ...he has so many qualities that Scott Bakula has...he is sweet and unassuming, striking good looks, talented as in he can do almost anything...sing, dance, act...:sing
It's cool that you had that idea too...I thought maybe someone did but hadn't read enough of the board to know for sure..lol! Thanks for letting me know :) Maybe Donna and Sam had twins?..a boy and a girl? :) :)
 
Beckett Offspring

Actually, if you check out the Virtual Seasons (*shameless plugosity*) the premise is that they had a boy from that night, and his name is Stephen, and he is a genius like his father.
 
leaper1 said:
Actually, if you check out the Virtual Seasons (*shameless plugosity*) the premise is that they had a boy from that night, and his name is Stephen, and he is a genius like his father.
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Actually, that's not entirely accurate. During the beginning of the 3rd virtual season (Season 8 ), Sam leaped into himself in May of 1995, the day before he stepped into the Accelerator in a 2-part episode called, "I Will Love You Forever." The night that he and Donna spent together in that story resulted in Stephen being retroactively born on February 12, 1996... which means that he would now be about 10 years old.

Of course, many fans have theorized that Sam and Donna might have conceived a child during "The Leap Back." As far as The Virtual Seasons goes, though, they didn't conceive a child that night. Of course (as Mike and I wrote just recently in this week's episode), the VS could be just one of an infinite number of realities that continue the QL saga. ;)

Incidentally, a younger Elijah Wood was "virtually" cast as Stephen Beckett. :)

Damon
 
A new Sam

I just had a really radical thought for the new person to cast as Sam Beckett -
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our very own Shane Devon!

Which sparks off the next thought -
If you had to cast Al's place regulars as characters on Quantum Leap, who would play which part, apart from the obvious one of Brian as the bartender?
 
Seems great minds think alike, Helen, as I was telling my mom about this thread back when it first started and I mentioned that they should cast Shane as Sam if they made a remake instead of a continuation.

And here's another vote for Brian as the Bartender.

Joy
 
And what about me???

I know, there aren't enough female roles around for me to get in... :(

Well, I'll be happy to do any guest appearance that lasts for an episode (and not 30 seconds, lol)

Clara
 
Yeah, any number of people could be guest stars--either as Leapees or people who know the Leapee in the past, or even technicians or military present at the project.

And the best thing about guest starring is that it's a whole new character, so you can give whatever spin on it you want and it wouldn't bother the fans; playing an already-established character makes the job a lot harder because you've gotta worry about satisfying the fans...

Joy
 
LOL... I think we've strayed into the realm of wishful thinking; I somehow doubt they'd give us fans roles in a QL movie.

On the other hand, if we all got together to do a fan film, we'd have a great cast for it...
 
As I have been reading the thread I have ben trying to picture someone else playing the lead roles but I can't! I think Dean and Scott will always be Al and Sam and nobody else could be as good!
 
If my arm was severly twisted, more than Rumsfeld & cos foreign policy *ahem*, then i would pick Timothy Dalton for Al (hey why not, he's a very good actor, check out Possessed). As for Sam..Ioan Gruffudd. They're not exactly A-listers, but i felt A-list only might be too limiting, no offence to the original poster.

Here's Ioan's site :-

http://www.ioanonline.com/

Some of you may recognise him from the film King Arthur or the future based legal series Century City.
 
Semi-Automatic Leaper said:
Some of you may recognise him from the film King Arthur or the future based legal series Century City.
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He also played Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic Four movie. ;)
 
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