"Knight Rider. A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Michael Knight: a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law."
A big-screen reboot of popular '80s action adventure series Knight Rider is in the works at Universal Pictures from the team behind Netflix's incredibly popular Cobra Kai Karate Kid spin-off, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald.
According to THR, Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg will pen the screenplay, with Hurwitz and Schlossberg in early talks to direct.
The trio will also produce via their Counterbalance Entertainment production company, alongside Kelly McCormick and David Leitch (The Fall Guy), who are producing through their banner 87North and its first-look deal with Universal. Gary Barber and Chris Stone will produce through Spyglass.
Back in 2020, we got word that a Knight Rider reboot from Spyglass Media was in the works, with Aquaman director James Wan reportedly developing the project through his Atomic Monster production house. We've had no updates since, and this take on the material clearly fell by the wayside.
Knight Rider ran on NBC from 1982-1986 and starred David Hasselhoff (Baywatch) as a mysterious crime-fighter named Michael Knight. The main attraction for most fans, however, was K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand), the high-tech computer that controlled Knight's black Pontiac Firebird and served as his protector and sidekick.
The show has amassed a big cult following over the years, with spin-offs, video games, books, comics, and even a convention known as KnightCon.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the previous version was said to be "a present-day take that will maintain the anti-establishment tone of the original." It remains to be seen if Universal puts a more light-hearted/comedic spin on the series.
What do you make of this news? Were you a Knight Rider fan back in the day? Let us know in the comments, and have a listen to that classic opening theme below.
Knight Rider follows Michael Knight, a former police detective given a new face and identity after being shot, who becomes a crime-fighter for the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG) alongside KITT, a highly advanced, artificially intelligent supercar. Aided by FLAG's head, Devon Miles, and KITT's creators, Michael and KITT travel the country, using the car's incredible technology to battle criminals and powerful organizations operating outside the law.