- But it appears his character of Herbert “Magic” Williams is no stranger to project Quantum Leap.
Updated 15/03/22
While it has not been widely picked up on, it has come to our attention that Ernie Hudson’s character of Herbert “Magic” Williams has been in Quantum Leap before; he appeared in season 3’s ‘The Leap Home: Part 2 (Vietnam)’.
One of two special episodes launching the season, the story sees Sam Beckett leaps into “Magic”, a member of Tom Beckett’s Navy SEAL unit. With Al’s help, Sam manages to change history save his brother’s life. However, it comes at the expense of saving some POWs, one of whom turns out to be a young Al.
On that occasion, “Magic” was played by Christopher Kirby. We haven’t been able to turn up a photo of him in role, but that’s because he was replaced by Sam for most of the episode.
Given this experience, Magic’s support for project Quantum Leap and a desire to discover what happened to Sam makes sense. It also suggests that the revival won’t be afraid of making solid links back to the original show.
Original Article follows…
Is Ernie Hudson swapping his proton pack for a handheld computer?
Hot of the back of Raymond Lee’s casting in the new Quantum Leap pilot, Deadline has broken exciting news: Ernie Hudson is to play Herbert “Magic” Williams, a Vietnam veteran and the head of the time travel project.
According to the report, Magic uses a bit of politicking and his military know-how to keep the Pentagon at bay, buying the team some time to rescue Dr. Ben Seong.
The new Al?
In the original show, Sam was trapped in the past and Al served as his hologrammatic guide from the present. Al called the odds, advised and cajoled, helping Sam from one leap to the next. Their camaraderie was an essential ingredient of the show’s success.
We’ve already learned that Raymond Lee’s Ben Seong, the leaper, is both a scientist and a man of faith. Now, with Ernie Hudson, we have an older military man and someone who’s defending the project in the present day. The smart money surely says we’ve met our new guide.
Ernie Hudson
Best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters movies, Ernie Hudson has enjoyed a phenomenal career. With his first television role in 1977, he’s appeared in everything from The Dukes of Hazzard to The A Team, ER to Law and Order, Full House to Heroes.
Currently, he’s playing a lead role in The Family Business, an American crime family drama about an exotic car dealership in New York.
On the big screen, in addition to the Ghostbusters franchise, Hudson appears in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, The Crow and Miss Congeniality. While he’s no Eric Roberts, this is an actor who works and works. Most recently, of course, he returned for Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
As you can doubtless tell, we’ll be following Quantum Leap developments closely! For more details, check out our previous article.