New information about the actors currently being targeted for a Knight Rider film reboot has been revealed. These days in the pop culture landscape, everything that was old is new again, as studios look to revive some of their best-known properties for the next generation of viewers. One such brand that’s looking to make a comeback in the 21st century is Knight Rider, a television program that originally aired in 1982. Starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, the series revolved around the adventures the lone crime fighter had with the assistance of his artificially intelligent car, KITT. Running for four seasons, the show found success and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy during its run.
Fans may recall there have already been attempts to bring Knight Rider into the modern age. Back in 2008, a sequel television series aired on NBC, but only lasted for one season. In the years since, there has been speculation about a big screen version starring Chris Pratt and Danny McBride, and just last year Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin was looking to reboot Knight Rider as a digital web series on Machinima. None of these projects have gotten off the ground, so now the Weinstein Company is going to take a stab at making their own Knight Rider film – and they are eyeing some big names for the leads.
A source close to us has shared some details about Weinstein’s Knight Rider reboot, which is being conceived as a comedy in the vein of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s 21 Jump Street. For the role of Knight, the studio is hoping to get WWE star John Cena, while omnipresent comedian Kevin Hart is seen as a possibility for the voice of KITT. It’s important to note that neither has been officially cast, and the Weinstein Company is simply interested in getting them onboard. If nothing else, this gives fans an idea of the tone the studio is looking for, combining Cena’s tough-guy action hero with Hart’s sense of humor.
This is a radically different direction from Hasselhoff’s proposed Knight Rider movie that he discussed with director Robert Rodriguez. The actor had a dark, Logan-inspired drama in mind, which is about as far as one can get from the meta humor antics of something like 21 Jump Street. Some would argue that latter approach would be better, as it would allow the movie reboot to embrace the spirit of the 1980s original while also having fun with it. Depending on who signs on to write and direct, the potential is there for a funny comedy – and perhaps a cameo by Hasselhoff himself. There’s no word yet on if this film would be R-rated.
In the wake of 21 Jump Street‘s success, there have been several similarly-minded “TV to movie” reboots that unfortunately came up short. Just this year, the likes of CHIPS and Baywatch tried to follow the template established by Lord and Miller and did not leave a lasting impression on critics or audiences. It will be interesting to see if Knight Rider can break the trend and stand out from the crowd when it comes out, though it seems the Weinstein Company is on the right track.
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