‘Knight Rider’ Is Heading to the Big Screen, But Will the ’80s Classic Tank With Fans?
Some fans know David Hasselhoff from Baywatch but before that, Knight Rider made him a star. Mitch may have been cool but when Michael Knight and K.I.T.T. went after villains, they did it with a dusting of ‘80s TV swagger.
That era continues to be a goldmine for Hollywood revivals, and now fans can add another one to the list with an official Knight Rider reboot. That’s right. K.I.T.T. is getting the feature film treatment.
‘Knight Rider’ is set for a reboot
According to Deadline, Knight Rider is headed to the big screen in its first major film adaptation. The ‘80s classic TV show aired from 1982-1986 and followed Michael Knight after he was recruited by the covert government-run FLAG organization.
Knight is one half of the dynamic crime-fighting duo as the other member was the artificially intelligent car named K.I.T.T.
If you grew up during that period, then you probably wanted a car just like it. The red scanner light, the snarky one-liners, and the cool stunts made K.I.T.T. a fan favorite. Perhaps that’s part of the reason James Wan signed on to produce the film.
Per Deadline, there aren’t any plot details but it’s rumored the movie will be a modern take on the old property.
There were several ‘Knight Rider’ spinoffs too
For a brief time in 2008, Knight Rider came back as a television reboot. It only aired for one season and starred Justin Bruening in the main role. And that wasn’t the show’s only reincarnation.
Team Knight Rider picked up in 1997 with a fleet of post-K.I.T.T. vehicles and ran for one season, and that series was preceded by two movies: Knight Rider 2000 (1991) and Knight Rider 2010 (1994).
Back in 2016, Variety reported that Machinima had its own plans for a digital reboot. Those plans folded and that company has since been absorbed into AT&T’s media conglomerate.
Fans have their thoughts about a new ‘Knight Rider’ film
Based on past revivals, some fans have concerns about touching the beloved franchise. James Wan’s involvement has many people excited about a new story, but others have ideas about what they want in a new Knight Rider movie.
On Twitter, there’s chatter about which type of car will be used in the film with folks wondering if Tesla will tackle the job.
Elsewhere, fans have concerns that a plot with a futuristic car isn’t so novel now that we live in technological times. Some Redditors think the film may be too basic when it comes to K.I.T.T. or that producers will cast the wrong lead.
Names such as Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, and Henry Cavill have been tossed around by fans, but some just want David Hasselhoff to make a triumphant return or cameo.
The success of this film is a gamble and will rely on casting, plot, and fan enthusiasm to be a hit. That can happen with Wan on board, but fans hope it doesn’t bomb like all the post-’80s sequels. At the very least, we hope the original theme song is worked in there too.
