Cool News
Merrick Takes The New KNIGHT RIDER TV Movie/Pilot Script For A Spin!!
Merrick here...
A few weeks back, NBC announced a TV movie/backdoor pilot aimed at re-launching the KNIGHT RIDER franchise. We subsequently reported that Glen Larson’s long-gestating film reboot of the concept was concurrently being positioned by The Weinstein Company. This is possible because NBC/Universal holds the television rights to the franchise, while Larson holds the film rights. I’m not sure what the current status of the feature film is…I haven’t heard anything conclusive one way or another.
Although, I can tell you that NBC has a script for the two hour KNIGHT RIDER relaunch. And, I’ve read it. I thought you might be curious about what the network has in mind.
WARNING!!! THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW!!!
THEY ARE VERY BROAD IN NATURE- I'M LEAVING OUT MANY DETAILS - BUT THEY’RE STILL SPOILERS
There’s good news and bad news, all of which depends on your perspective I suppose.
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.
New character include (but are not limited to)…
MIKE TRACER: an ex Army Ranger, now disillusioned and disenfranchised. He’s a shitty gambler and an unsuccessful race car driver. He’s pulled into the world of K.I.T.T. because of his very special connection to the past KNIGHT RIDER incarnation. The first time we see him, he’s waking up in bed with a fabulous babe. A few minutes later, another one steps out of the restroom.
CHARLES KAMEN: a designer of the “Knight Industries Two Thousand – K.I.T.T.”, once driven by Michael Knight. He’s recently finished the “Knight Industries Three Thousand – K.I.T.T.” – which is a very good thing when the shit hits the fan. At one point Mike calls Charles "insane" for trying to make a difference with his nutty car. "This world is insane" says Charles. "This is the definition of sanity."
SARAH KAMEN: Charles’ daughter. She and Mike had a thing going a while back, and discover they’ve been unnecessarily alienated for years due to bad timing and simple misunderstandings.
CARRIE RAVAI: a bad-ass FBI agent. The first time we see her, she’s waking up in bed with a fabulous babe.
AMIR and ZION: Middle Eastern enforcers/collectors who constantly lean on Tracer to pay back money he borrowed. Tracer doesn’t have it.
WELTHER, BELLE, SMOKE, SAM, and CROSS: Think in terms of DIE HARD villains mixed with Private Military Contractors. They’re after data about something called “Legion”. Like the Rabbit’s Foot in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, we learn little about it what Legion actually is…but people will do anything to get it, and the government is mortified it’ll fall into the wrong hands. Like K.I.T.T., Legion is a Charles Kamen project.
While they’ve yet to find the Legion details they seek on harddrives stolen from Kamen, the baddies have managed to decipher one critical bit of information: tech specs on K.I.T.T., and how to shut it down.
As you might be able to tell…there’s been a slight tweak to the general thrust of KNIGHT RIDER. This story itself is relatively small in scale, but it's large in conceptual scope. It’s…immediate. There’s an implication that the (possible) further adventures of Tracer, K.I.T.T. and the Knight Industries team will be global in nature. Blackriver…this installment’s big bad (think: Halliburton) is still in play when the script wraps up, as is THE CLIENT – the mysterious personality who wants Legion for whatever nefarious reasons.
The one element I find most agreeable about this script: it’s perfectly happy to be "fun", never thinks too highly of itself, shows a vast respect for its source material while gently nudging it into a different decade…different century…different millennia (boy that’s weird to think about).
Brisk, breezy fun that’s smart enough not to insult, offering enough clever twists as not to bore. Could be worse. Could be a lot worse.
[[[merrick]]]
Readers Talkback
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bitches
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Oct. 19, 2007, 12:18 p.m. CST
This sounds legen.... wait for it... I hope you're not lactose i
by epitone
Seriously. I can't wait. I'm so there.
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Oct. 19, 2007, 12:19 p.m. CST
wouldnt it feel wierd banging bitch in the back seat,he'd watch
by greekopa
pervert
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When I'd first heard of NBC trying to crank out a new Knight Rider show I admit I was skeptical, and then when it was said to be basically a lower budget version of Transformers to make the network some more money, since remakes of old shows seem to be the new big thing in tv right now. But this....actually could be interesting, or at the least entertaining.
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That Hoffman should be involved in this. Unless he's too busy judging dancing shows or inventors or who the best ho-match for Bret Michaels would be or something. He could be like the Bruce Wayne character in Batman Beyond - not driving the car, but the man behind the scenes putting it all together.
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"We'll just go down to the pound and pick up a new jazzman." Awesome!
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how is that even possible?<p> for truly, Knight Rider was like the West Wing of its day...
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Didn't they try this already with "Team Knight Rider?" Do we really need another remake? Will the "Hoff" make a cameo to pass the torch? It's getting sad.......
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Is it too soon to ponder Street Hawk?
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It might help to bring to light remakes of my other favourite shows Manimal and Tales of the Gold Monkey.
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... a show called Viper? Looks like this concept has already been done and re-done!
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Have it disguise itself as the A-team Van, General Lee, or a Red Peterbuilt Semi with flames. Yea.
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You left out on critical bit of info... <p> 45 psi tire pressure on the new KITT
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Oct. 19, 2007, 1:04 p.m. CST
K.I.T.T. consumes a tank of Ethanol then cheats on Michael Knigh
by Evil Lincoln
...someone had to say it! LOL To be honest, there is really nothing these folks can do to screw up such a "bubble gum" series like KR. This could be interesting...could be bad...I'm not taking ANY bets on this one.
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So I gather Hasselhoff, KITT (the 2000 version) or both show up in the last third.
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Oct. 19, 2007, 1:06 p.m. CST
The pilot takes place in the Wendy's Drive-Thru....
by Cletus Van Damme
...as Hasselhoff gets the inside of the car positively greasy with hamburger drippings.
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Man, WTF! lol
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Otherwise it isn't KITT, its a talking car. It's Viper like Kid-Z says. Imagine how much worse the Dukes of Hazzard movie would've been if they used something like the new Dodge Charger?! OR if they did a new A-Team and used a Hummer or an SUV of some sort. ugh.
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They're trying so hard on Bionic Woman to make that a drama, or mean something, or say something. She should just be running fast, jumping over buildings and smooshing tennis balls. I fell asleep watching it this week. I NEVER FALL ASLEEP WATCHING TELEVISION!
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I'd give a pilot a shot. Who bets that Tracer is Michael Knight's kid? Pretty obvious, would be more interesting if he were the evil twin's kid, just for a twist. And if any old characters are back, here's hoping for RC3...to be buried in a junkyard somewhere, dead as dead can be.
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...supposed to be Blackwater, the mercenary for hire thug contractor used by the State Department.
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Bwahahahahahahahaha!<br><br>So this pilot's "big bad" is an urban myth, too, left-wing style?<br><br>This is the best reference that you can come up with -- HALLIBURTON?<br><br>Awwww, that's so cute. To see in what tiny circles your thoughts run. Halliburton -- bwahahahahahaha!
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Show up in later episodes that would be really sweet.
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Well the original concept idea for this TVM/pilot sounded crap but this script sounds quite enjoyable. Although I hope there's space for David Hasslehoff to appear since without Michael Knight it aint Knight Rider!
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Sounds somewhat interesting.
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Blackguard is right..this sounds far too much like the awful Team Knightrider series of a few years back...even down the mythical and absent Michael Knight! Doomed to fail!!
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I do think it is funny that they build this car that can hack into infrastructures, talks, can comflage itself, has facial recongition software, and has night vision; but it still runs on gas. <br><br> I'm sorry, but a talking car is still 80s cheese no matter how you pretty it up. The star having menage a tois' and a hot lesbian or bisexual FBI agent doesn't change the fact that it is a show about a talking car. My guess by the time it gets to a shooting script all these sexual escapades will be toned down. I doubt two of the major characters will be introduced in bed with random women.
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Made the show seem like a slice of greatness.
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As opposed to Knight Rider: The Next Generation?
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'nuff said. And where's the Mad Max Knight Rider anyway?
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to a copy of this script? = )
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however my question is why does eveyr show have to have at least one lesbian on it. Now don't get me wrong, about lesbians but jeez it seems every show has one, I'm waiting for one to show up on LOST magically on the island
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the hero is Micheal Knight's kid they we never knew aobut before, just like in road house 2, they kid was the kid of Patrick Swayze who was too busy running a pet store (and sounding like gilbert Gottfired) to do it
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...in about episode 16 and Tracer will have another K.I.T.T waiting for him. He'll say: <p> "Time to get in it."<p> "What?"<p> "The last car you'll ever drive... again."<p> ...a lovely Will Smith moment...
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We see stuff like The Cw's 21 Jump Street re-imagining, or a new A-Team show done McG style clogging up the timeslots.
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and watch episodes of itself after it airs? Sorry. Couldn't resist. I used to love Knight Rider but this sort of just sounds rather... unexciting and just trying to jump on the Speed Racer bandwagon. Maybe if there were four other KITTs and they combined and transformed into a giant robot and it was called something like Voltaire or Moltron or.... Mulva or Dolores. Well, I can't believe I'm saying that I'm not too excited to see Knight Rider again but who knows, maybe it'll be good.
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This is going to be another case of who gets there first. The film unfortunately won't make it to theatres before this pilot is shot and ready to air. That's just the way it works. If they already have a script out there making the rounds, even if its an early draft (and from this review it doesn't sound that way) they are still more likely to make it to air before the film is ready. TV just moves faster. And that makes me sad. I was really hoping Larson and Universal would kiss and make up and we'd get the kickass Glen Larson Knight Rider project we all want. Instead we're going to get this decades "Truman Show" and "EdTV" standoff. The question is, which is which.
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Hoff could be in charge of F.L.A.G. like Devon b4 he kicked it, and you've got to have Mr Feeny as the car's voice as well
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I doubt he's coming back to do voice work on this.
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or else I'm boycotting this new series.
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That's the only way to make it a hard R.
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Yeah, the Hoff needs to be a part of this in some way. Or the main character needs to eat some floor burger as an homage or something.
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please please please please bring back K.A.R.R.<br><br> Won't be the same without him...
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Oct. 19, 2007, 3:57 p.m. CST
No sense of true jeopardy? You never saw the Kitt vs. Goliath ep
by Cotton McKnight
That gave me nightmares. Oh yeah and KITT has a beer and cheets on his wife.
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I loved Knight Rider as a kid, so I'd love KR to be given a BSG-style refit for the 00s. Only, retain the original's sense of fun. This script sounds like it's performing that balancing act very well. I'm already intrigued by the set-ups for seasonal arcs and the new KITT tricks seem cool, without pandering to the obvious fanboy ideas (Transformers-style camouflaging and flight, etc.) But it's a script. Let's see what makes it into the Pilot. Oh, and as much as I LOVE William Daniels voice as KITT... I'm not sure he should be back -- particularly if this new KITT is a different kind of character. If "our" KITT acted differently, it'd be odd. Best get a new voice in there. But by all means throw in some Daniels/Hoff cameos and whatnot.
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"...Knight Rider is a children's show."
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Good conjecture - but it's not what you think.
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Man, I cant wait till all the shitty shows from the 70's and 80's are remade! Its back to the future and the future is NOW!
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I watched Knight Rider as a kid, and even then I didn't find it that suspenseful or complicated. I was basically into it for the car and the gadgets. Nowadays, we pretty much have all of these capabilities except for the invisibility cloak and the AI. In the 1980's it was a big deal to have a phone in the car and a television. Now you can buy a Hyundai with an in-car DVD system, phone integration, and a GPS that can find you an ATM and a drive-thru to cram your kid's mouth full of phony food. I don't think people are going to be wowed that much by the supercar, which means they have to rely on character development (God help them!). The better shows of the last few years, like Buffy, Veronica Mars, Galactica, Lost, etc., were generally good shows because the characters were interesting. The trappings of their environment (e.g. vampires, starships, police procedure) at worst were incidental and at best were used as metaphors for social commentary. I suspect that is why shows like the Bionic Woman aren't doing well. Once you get past the fantastic ( as in fantastical, not awesome) concept, there is nothing to sustain your interest. The character descriptions in this write-up don't give me much hope that this Knight Rider will be any good past the first few episodes.
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Is the main guy Michael's son? And what has happened to Michael? I hope they actually deal with that if this is a sequel series. Get the Hoff in as a recurring guest.
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Oct. 19, 2007, 7:10 p.m. CST
...and then Jack Bauer shows up wearing a leather jacket.
by theonecalledshoe
Question: Will the new car have flames on it??? :)
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Sorry, I've never been into Knight Rider. Didn't care for the show...couldn't stand David Hasslehoff...still can't. As for the show, I guess it may have something to do with the cheese factor and the blatant rip-off of the cylon eye. I know Larson did both shows, but really...how utterly uncreative. This new one might be okay, but I just can't get behind it because of the old show and my feelings for it...or against it as the case may be. And I'm really not interested at all in the studio's obvious attempt to be "hip" by including a lesbian character. Why is she a lesbian? Does it somehow further the plot? I'm thinking no. Strangely, I AM actually interested to see what becomes of Glen Larson's movie version. To quote George Carlin, "Who gives a F**K!!!
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... it can't think of anyone who wouldn't rather take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut over broken glass rather then sit thru 10 minutes of this kind of stupidity .... How about we 'RE-IMAGINE' some fucking imagination huh dickheads? Oh.. and because it needs to be said... "Oh My GAWD! There's a Bomb in Zombie Bruce Paltrows Ribcage!?!?!?!"
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BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS UNSPOILED.
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I'm just askin......
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Duh! ;-)
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Bah.
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And yes the fucking car transforms
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Oct. 19, 2007, 11:14 p.m. CST
Gah, enough with these serial overarching mystery shows!
by themikejonas
Can't we have another consequence-free, guilt-free adventure every week where the guy rides into town, beats up on the dirty sheriff, kisses the girl and rides off? I hate having to "follow" so many shows...
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sounds good, and NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO it better not be an 80s transam....... can all u people get ur heads out of the '80s ass.... lol pipple, if shia is michael knight jr....maybe kitt will be a yellow 2008 camaro with racing stripes....lol... should be a brand new transam or similar vehicle....nothing old, just for u nostalgic 'turds
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<br>i didnt know any thing about the series until it was mentioned in the comments section by some fellow geeks. A distinct lack of interest from aicn. but its actually a great show, simiar to quantum leap.</br> <br> 3 more scripts have been ordered, please start dropping in and watching the show, it deserves a viewing, please dont wait to watch and realise what a good show and poteitial it has after it gets cancelled!</br> <br> watch, and give it a chance, its worth viewing</br>
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because it sounds exactly like Chloe from 24 has been zapped by the Tron laser and put inside a car. I bet it'll sound bitchy and make virtual faces, too.
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But I still want Hasselhoff to play a large role in it, even if KITT does have to do all the driving for him because he's drunk. Perhaps the occasional episode where the Hoff and KITT Mark 1 come out of retirement to help out the new team?
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Your "Bloom County" reference made my morning. Thanks for the laugh.
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Mark my words.
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Oct. 20, 2007, 12:49 p.m. CST
Remember Goliah, that black Optimus Prime truck that played chic
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
That was awesome.
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Oct. 20, 2007, 12:51 p.m. CST
Remember Goliah, that black Optimus Prime truck that played chic
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
That was awesome.
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They'll be playing that knight rider theme remix by Busta Rhymes... FIRED UP!!!
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...due to bad timing and simple misunderstandings." <p> They stole my autobiographical synopsis. Bitches.
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... equals Kamen Rider. Sweeeeeeet.
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Sounds like silly shit.
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It will be a shame if it gets cancelled before people realize what a great show it is/or can be in the future. And why would having a foreigner playing the lead throw you off so much... you can't believe that there are people of foreign descent living in San Francisco? I realize it's a huge stretch. duh.
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But why not have the Hoff as the voice of the new K.I.T.T.? And then, when Michael Knight shows up, 'cause ya know he will, one of the techs can say something like, "We based your car's voice on the voice of the original Knight Rider." Or some stupid line like that. Then, of course, comedy ensues when KITT and Michael start talking to each other. Ha. Ha. Ha. Seriously, though, I think that this has potential. I'll give it my standard three episode new show tial.
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"In 2008 liberal America, car drives you!" There better be strobing red lights on a dash console when KITT talks...
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I do
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That's why K.I.T.T is consoling her?
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The main thing which, for me, said "jump the shark" was in the last season when a villain sprayed K.I.T.T. with some chemical which broke down the "molecularly bonded" compound which had rendered the car all but invulnerable. They then had it going a lot faster to try to dodge bullets they'd have formerly laughed at. I hope they'll decide to ignore that part and make the new car as tough as the original one was in the beginning, otherwise they've lost me.
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He was cool.
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cause it is raped. Oh and our hero wakes up in bed with a babe, and then another hottie comes out of the bathroom. That AUTOMATICALLY makes him my hero. Talking cars? yeah right like I believe that hippy crap.
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Don't wanna sound like a prude, here, but wasn't a show like Knight Rider and The A-Team sort of meant for an "all ages" audience? Since it's based on a show that kids who are now adults liked, I guess we have to make it "mature" by having characters not only wake up in bed after some lovin', but throw in a three way and some girl on girl action. Pardon my tangent here, but does any network make a show kids can watch in prime time? I realize the "8 o'clock family hour" went away years ago, but what made them give up on family-friendly shows? And I don't mean 7th Heaven. I've got a niece and nephew and the old kid-aimed shows seem to be horrifically terrible sitcoms starring insufferably cute kids and a cast of characters who are, each and every one of them, obnoxious idiots. Ugh. Tonight alone at 8pm, let's see... "How I Met Your Mother". Plenty of sex-related humor on there. Prison Break. Yes, there's a show for the kiddies. Maybe I'm babbling, but am I making sense to anyone?
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Nothing is going to beat Jason Bourne directing that reporter around in The Bourne Ultimatum.
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Which is why most of the stuff currently on TV is crap and I tend to avoid it. This show definitely sounds like it belongs on after 9 PM. But then, standards of what's acceptable "family fare" have lowered so much since the '80s, that, unfortunately, TV makers probably couldn't care less about whether or not their material is appropriate for kids to watch.<p>Like monkeys in a zoo, they just thoughtlessly throw their crap against the wall to see what sticks.
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Just wanted to add that I'm not completely against non-family-friendly shows. I just think it'd be nice if there were a few that weren't mind-numbing dreck. Honestly, there are cartoons with more intelligence than the kid sitcoms you'll see on Nickelodeon and Disney.
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Knight Rider, Viper and Max Headroom, with maybe a little bit of Search thrown in.<p><p> (shrug) Worth a look, I guess. Knight Rider was always good for at least one fabulous babe in every episode!
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