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New Knight Rider Series In Development

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:48 pm
by Ian
Yep.. Knight Rider is coming back to the small screen. I wonder if Hasselhoff will show up at all. More importantly, what kind of car will KITT be?

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=37731

NBC is bringing back "Knight Rider," hiring Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity) to produce a Transformers-inspired reworking of the 1980s hit action-drama series about a man and his indestructible supercar.

Variety says the network is developing a two-hour pilot for the project, with tentative plans to air it as a telepic later this season. Liman is open to the idea of directing, assuming his feature schedule allows. If the telepic clicks, a new-model "Knight Rider" could be on the air as early as next fall.

Dave Andron ("Raines") is writing the pilot script and will serve as supervising producer alongside executive producers Liman and Dave Bartis ("The O.C.," "Heist") for Universal Media Studios and Dutch Oven Productions.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:36 pm
by SithTracy
They must be running out of ideas... The Bionic Woman came back last night... I watched it, it wasn't bad, but not great... And Journey Man which kinda reminds me a little of Quantum Leap. No idea if either will make it... I do like Heros and I am waiting for the second season of Robin Hood to start on BBC America.

What's next, another "A" Team?

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:28 pm
by Ian
SithTracy wrote:What's next, another "A" Team?


I've been waiting for years for them to make an A Team movie. I guess I could settle for a new TV show.

I missed Bionic Woman the other night. I really wanted to watch it. I watched Journeyman though. I really couldn't get into it since we don't know why he's going through time yet.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 8:28 pm
by Morpheus
Sounds like their going to screw up Knight Rider. They mentioned something about the cars "shifting" and then having evil cars vs the good cars. There was a really bad sequel series called Team Knight Rider which only last one season. (I saw about 5 episodes of it)

About 3 years ago there was talk about doing a new Knight Rider movie and/or tv series with David Hasselhoff but nothing came about. Now it looks like this time they might do it.

I watched Journeyman though. I really couldn't get into it since we don't know why he's going through time yet.


It looks like the reason he is time traveling is - it looks like their doing Voyagers!. At the end of the episode, he meets his dead finace - who is also a time traveler. So her death was faked so she could disappear and do her time travelling stuff. He was the new recruit. When the finace showed up - she said "I thought it was you". She give him some advice and then disappeared. So it looks like Voyagers! where you have a group of people that are time travelling and going on missions.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:59 am
by Ian
More info on the new series...

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34497

Word is Larson’s film project is a ground up reworking of the KNIGHT RIDER mythos – which might appeal to folks who were passingly interested in the supercar concept, but didn’t really care for the original series too much.

NBC’s television movie/backdoor pilot, on the other hand, is VERY MUCH A SEQUEL to the original David Hasselhoff series. It takes the heart and soul of KNIGHT RIDER, gives it a little more edge…a dash more intelligence (but not too much)…an often clever sense of wit...slicks it up a bit…and hits the ground running.

Through most of David Andron’s teleplay, cursory allusions are made to a Trans-Am supercar from decades ago; Hasselhoff’s Michael Knight and K.I.T.T. have assumed something of an urban legend status. We don’t know what happened to them…or what became of their high-tech crime fighting exploits.

However, in the last third (or so) of the script, this project’s relationship to the original KNIGHT RIDER series becomes startlingly evident. This isn’t handled in a tip-of-the-hat, affectionate homage sort of way, either. By the end of the show, we realize we’re watching a sequel…a continuation…grounded in the same “universe” as the original, only with new characters. And some…who aren’t so new.

Is it fun? It’s fun. Is it great? It’s KNIGHT RIDER. KNIGHT RIDER (as a whole) is defined by cool cars doing dopey things, witty banter between an irascible driver and his supercomputer partner, and a frivolous lack of true jeopardy – hardly the stuff of lofty narrative. The same qualities are present here. There are also classically structured cliffhangers that lead us into commercials…we pick up right where we left off when returning from commercial breaks…in fact, the whole structure/feel of the show feels…80s.

This is NOT to say the show is fully retro; it is decidedly modern in sensibility and technology. This is primarily evident in the conception of, and treatment of, the new K.I.T.T. car.

Yes, the car still talks. I don’t know what voice they want to use…but references are made to the original KNIGHT RIDER theme music, and….given that this is a sequel…it’s safe to assume Wiliam Daniels (who voiced the original K.I.T.T.) would at least be considered.

K.I.T.T. now guides its driver through situations remotely, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE style – using a Bluetooth-like device to communicate verbally with operatives while tapping into security camera video feeds.

It uses high-end profiling software to locate (or evade) bad guys in a crowd. There’s a nifty cat and mouse sequence set in a casino…in which K.I.T.T. maneuvers its driver through a crowded room & away from the villains while cross-referencing badguy images lifted from surveillance footage that was snagged earlier.

It seizes and controls technological infrastructures (like power lines, computer networks, door controls, etc.) to facilitate missions.

It has an arsenal of portable tech human companions can use to this end…night vision devices and whatnot.

It can camouflage itself (primarily a color shifting technology, although there is some physical manipulation involved) - appearing to be other cars (the sense is that they're usually roughly the same mass).

K.I.T.T…is more like a Special Forces asset than a gimmick in this iteration.

It runs on gasoline (with performance optimized to over 140mpg via solar-powered back-up, etc.). It’s very autonomous…in fact, it is more or less the “hero” of this piece until approx half way through the script.

Its best sequence? There’s a moment when K.I.T.T. attempts to console someone who has lost her father. It’s a machine…an AI…and doesn’t know how to relate to raw emotions, so all it can do is try to be there for her by using (literally) textbook examples and research materials. K.I.T.T. feels very much like vintage Spock in this script. There’s a coldness to it, but also a sweet charm.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:08 pm
by Morpheus
I read that article, and I felt liking responding to it on the Ain't It Cool site (I haven't yet). I was a big time Knight Rider fan and I really love the car. However, evertime they tried to bring it back - it really sucked. There was the Knight Rider 2000 movie, then the Knight Rider 2010 movie (which had nothing to do with Knight Rider, they just used the name and concept), and finally the horrible Team Knight Rider series (lasted one season).

About 10 years ago, I decided to redesign KITT - and made a series of tech drawings. I came up with a sequel series: the designers came up with a new tech car - the Knight Industries Three Thousand and KITT was transplanted into the new car. They also designed a new Semi mobile headquarters for it. Further KARR (whose CPU/brain survived) was reprogramed with KITT's directives was also given the series 3000 car body and a Semi mobile headquarters. KITT and crew were team 1 and KARR and team was team 2. The new series would alternate between KITT and KARR episodes with a few team up episodes. They would be fighting high-end bad guys - James bond villian types.

Then about 4 years ago, there was talk about doing another Knight Rider movie / series but nothing came about - I was glad since what I have heard just sucked and I believe my idea is much better. If I had any connections, I wanted my Knight Rider sequel series to be filmed. Now there's this project and after reading the spoiler on Ain't It Cool - I have gotten bit angry since they are using some of my ideas. I still don't like what their story is, I still think mine is much better. I might post this at Ain't It Cool website.

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:55 pm
by SithTracy
I'll probably watch the first couple episodes, but I am setting my expectations LOW... very LOW.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:10 pm
by LoneWolf
SithTracy wrote:I'll probably watch the first couple episodes, but I am setting my expectations LOW... very LOW.


Yep. If it's anything like "Team Knight Rider" (which was, IMO, only eclipsed in suckage by "Viper" as a horrible late-night show using a car as a focal point) it's gonna bite.

Man...can't somebody bring back "AirWolf" while we're at it? There was a favorite show from my childhood days.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:54 pm
by Wesociety
LoneWolf wrote:Man...can't somebody bring back "AirWolf" while we're at it? There was a favorite show from my childhood days.

I forgot all about AirWolf until you mentioned it here. I used to watch both Knight Rider and AirWolf when I was a kid.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:18 pm
by Ian
I'm still waiting for the A-Team to come back.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:10 pm
by SithTracy
Ian wrote:I'm still waiting for the A-Team to come back.
With the writers guild on strike... Be careful what you wish for!!!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:18 am
by jase
Let's hope it's better than the Bionic Woman remake -- shame on you NBC for lowering yourself to the level of Fox :lol: And here was me thinking that NBC was the nearest the US got to the BBC as well :roll:

I mean, Michelle Ryan in the title role? That fat, ugly, talentless bint from UK soap Eastenders???? What were they thinking?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:42 am
by Ian
KITT has been unveiled. He's a friggin' Mustang. #-o

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/12/nbc- ... -unveiled/

The show debuts on February 17th.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:27 am
by SithTracy
Ian wrote:KITT has been unveiled. He's a friggin' Mustang. #-o

Well, I did say I was setting my expectations low... very low... now very, very,very low. They should have went with the Trans Am concept.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:40 pm
by Wesociety
That KITT looks retarded... #-o

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:23 pm
by Morpheus
I really hope that this movie bombs. It just keeps getting worse and worse. I hate the Ford mustang - it's one UGLY car. The story isn't very good, and the characters also suck. In my concept sequel series, I used a 1990's Camaro which was the next step from the the 80's Firebird. Now I'm leaning towards a (modified) Lamborghini Countach as the new KITT.

PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 3:33 pm
by Ian
Promo is online:

http://jalopnik.com/cars/knight-rider/f ... 337239.php

I love the dual lights. The voice is pretty good too despite the fact that he calls him Mike instead of Michael.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:24 pm
by Ian
According to this, Hasselhoff is going to make an appearance. I wonder if he'll be drunk. :wink:

http://www.knightridermovie.com/

Also, Will Arnett is the voice of KITT? wtf?

PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:55 pm
by Ian
Get this.. Val Kilmer is going to voice KITT now.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/08/val- ... tt-is-out/

Man, how time flies. The return of Knight Rider to the small screen happens in just nine days when a two-hour movie featuring a new Michael Knight and his talking, jumping, cloaking car airs February 17th on NBC. You'd think with such little time left that the movie itself would be finished and ready to go. Not so. A few weeks ago, Will Arnett, the chosen voice of KITT in the movie and upcoming series, was forced to back out because someone realized that he also did voiceover work for GMC. Being a professional grade voice for General Motors doesn't jive with playing KITT in a show that's sponsored by Ford, so the Arrested Development star vacated the role. His replacement: Val Kilmer. Wha?!?!?!

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:43 am
by SithTracy
Why didn't they just ask James Earl Jones to do it?!!? Add the "breathing effect" and that guy could make a Ford Pinto or AMC Hornet seem cool :D

I can see it now, KITT could drive up behind Herbie the Love bug and say, "I have you now." #-o

TV sucks these days with the writers on strike... My expectations for this are so low... Right now it ranks just above Dora The Explorer... Might be tough for me to choose between Knight Rider and that ](*,)

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:31 am
by Ian
Dora ranks pretty high in my house. That monkey Boots is a bad mofo.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 1:17 am
by Morpheus
I heard something on the radio about the voice of kitt on the new Knight Rider movie on Friday. I didn't know what they were talking about until I read an article on Zap2It. I managed to get the (short) commercial on video tape when I timered a show. At the end of the commercial, I did frame-by-frame and got a shot of the "new" dashboard - 2 large circular dials with a smaller third one on the left and a gray airplane-style driving wheel - that's it. WOW - 3 dials - that's more advanced and futuristic then the digital dashboard of the original series!! Man, this movie is going to suck so bad. I think I'm going to find that crappy Knight Rider 2000 movie to be better than this one. :evil:

PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:53 pm
by Ian
Anyone else watching? So far its been nothing more than a glorified Ford commercial. The Michael Knight replacement is pretty annoying too.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:55 pm
by Morpheus
I'm going to start watching it in about 30 minutes. I spent a couple of hours yesterday in a Knight Rider forum reading about the original series and this new pilot. Every forum I been to, most people have blasted the use of the Ford Mustang and how there is no connection to the original series. Most of the comments have been negative. Yesterday I read the comment about the movie being a 2-hour Ford commercial (I got a laugh about it). The other thing I read is that because of the success of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Universal bought back the rights to Knight Rider so they can bring back Knight Rider. Also Glen A Larsen has the rights to do a new reboot Knight Rider movie which has been on hold for some time now (writer's strike?). Universal/NBC rushed their project in order to get it out first (and that it has a limited budget). I don't know if this is true or not. From what little I have seen, this movie is going to really suck. I'm going in expecting it to suck and I'm hoping that it does suck in order that this would not get developed any further.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:03 am
by Ian
It was good to see the Hoff again but I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the old KITT (you see a steering wheel). I'll probably watch the series. I watched Bionic Woman and that show was a lot worse than this one.