As a kid I used to love the Knight Rider TV series with David Hasselhoff. Back in those days, watching through child eyes, The Hoff didn't seem particularly cheesy or kitsch (I'm sure he didn't become a cult icon until mid-way through the 90s Baywatch series). Anyway, Knight Rider was a great show for kids –- a talking car equipped with gadgets that fights crime is just about as good as it gets when you're young!The success of the show was primarily K.I.T.T the car (a vehicle still dripping with cool over 20 years later), but I also think the chemistry between Michael Knight (Hoff) and K.I.T.T (William Daniels' voice) was also a big draw. I sometimes catch repeats of the show on TV and can see the weakness of the actual plots, but the Hoff/KITT dynamic is still pretty strong.
A film version of Knight Rider has been in development hell since the 90s (and, indeed, there have been a few attempts at revamping the concept in failed TV pilots and TV-Movies), but it's the big-budget Hollywood adaptation fans are after. David Hassellhoff has recently stated he'd like to star in the film with Orlando Bloom as his son, but I don't think that's likely to happen! I'm sure The Hoff will be involved, though (a great cameo surely beckons), and I'll be very disappointed if they re-voice KITT!
Ain't It Cool News recently released some concept art for the movie-version KITT (see above), but it could just be some fan art. Either way, it looks pretty decent and is certainly a redesign I could live with. Yes, I know... this is another remake of a TV show... and they almost always fail... but sometimes nostalgia clouds your thinking... so I'm really hoping they pull this off!
