“Knight Rider” could be on the road for another reboot, as “Fast & Furious” producer Justin Lin is revving up for a digital upgrade of the fan-favorite 1980s action/adventure classic that followed the legend of the man and the car of the future.
According to Variety, Lin and his YOMYOMF production company is collaborating with digital network Machinima to develop the new “Knight Rider”, with Lin and YOMYOMF producing it on the possibility for a 2017 premiere, which will coincide with the 35th anniversary of the original that aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986. However, casting has yet to be announced, and Machinima has yet to distribute.
“‘Knight Rider’ is an iconic franchise whose concepts of AI and autonomous vehicles were science-fiction in the 1980s and are now science fact. Justin is one of the leading storytellers of his generation and we couldn’t be more excited to work with him on reinvigorating ‘Knight Rider’ for a new generation of fans,” Machinima CEO Chad Gutstein said in a statement.
“Knight Rider”, which starred David Hasselhoff, was created by the late Glen A. Larson, who also created the original “Battlestar Galactica”. James Bond meets “The Lone Ranger”, “Knight Rider” starred the Hoff as Michael Knight, a former cop given a second chance at life by billionaire Wilton Knight, who chose Michael to uphold the belief that one man can make a difference. With the Knight Industries Two Thousand – KITT (voice of William Daniels) – by his side, Michael embarked on a lone crusade as a modern-day knight in shining armor for the Foundation for Law & Government (FLAG): championing the cause of the innocent, the helpless, and the powerless in the dangerous world of criminals who operate above and beyond the law.
“Knight Rider” spawned a franchise that included 1991’s “Knight Rider” 2000 and the short-lived NBC reboot with Justin Bruening as the son of Michael Knight, who made a cameo appearance in the 2008 two-hour movie.
Reruns of the original “Knight Rider” can be found on cable networks El Rey and COZI TV.