Hollywood is not letting the ongoing health crisis and the fact that movie theaters will probably not be able to resume regular operations for the remainder of the year, if not longer, get in the way of its fascination for all things ‘80s.
Reboots / remakes / revivals / call-them-what-you-want of ‘80s TV shows and films have been all the rage this past decade and, despite proving a mixed bag at the box office, they’re still happening. The latest to get this modern treatment is Knight Rider, which aired on NBC between 1982 and 1986, catapulted David Hasselhoff to star status and turned a black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am into a cult icon.
Deadline is confirming the reboot / remake, saying that Spyglass Media is working with Atomic Monster on the production, with Judson Scott serving as executive producer. TJ Fixman, a writer with experience in video game scripts, will handle writing duties on the new film.
It sounds like the project has just gotten a green light, so this means that details remain scarce for the time being. However, “it will be a present-day take that will maintain the anti-establishment tone of the original,” the trade publication notes. In other words, the idea will be the same as the show (a man fighting crime with help from his technologically advanced, self-aware, indestructible car), but set in the present.
This could mean a series of things, with the most important being that they will probably not be using a Pontiac for KITT. Then, given the fact that, these days, it’s no longer shocking to have a car talk back to you and / or suggest putting it on Auto mode so you can catch some sleep, they will have to come up with other things to make KITT stand out as a futuristic ride. It could be an all-electric KITT that can also fly, or is fit with impressive weapons, you know?
Either way, it could be another few years before KITT rides back on the big screen, so here is a reminder of how awesome it was back in the day. The first time KITT speaks to Knight:
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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