How to best solve the Knight Rider Movie problem...

[KnightGoddess]

Seattle was the "in" city in the 90s (Starbucks, Frasier) so I could understand them wanting Knight Rider 2000 to take place there. But the only script I've seen (Knight Rider Archive) doesn't mention a specific city as far as I can tell. Is there another script out there? I like seeing the evolution in the writing process.

and grunge music thank you very much

[Tony J Case]

Ok, this has been bugging me for a while and might be why it's taking so long for the script for the new Knight Rider movie to get off the ground. Which series and/or movies should the studio, producers, directors, etc. consider as canon that HAS to be followed if it's to be a hit in theaters?

I know I speak hearasy - but I think strong continuity to the show is a bad thing. A movie goer should not be required to do homework for a 20 year old cult TV show to understand what is going on. The movie should be self contained, building on it's own internal continuity.

Also does it have to follow the show to be a sucess? The only TV-Show-into-movie I can think of that has strong ties to what came before was Star Trek. Every other show-into-movie I can think of - Lost in Space, Charlies Angels, and so on - has very little to do with the small screen source material. And Trek could only be considered a marginal financial sucess (only ST 4 is in the top 150 moneymaking movies, at about 85th, I believe).

So it may suck for any loose ends from the series, I think a clean break is the best way to go.

[Lyn]

I think the movie should contain elements from the original "Knight Rider" series and have KITT black, like he was for the series.
The series was a fun show on TV, and I was really bummed when the show was cancelled in 1986!

[AtariKnight]

Start again, Back to basics, Have the master (Micheal) and his apprentice, With KITT in a new body, Voiced either by William Daniels or a very convincing soundalike

Trying to explain everything and pander to the whims of fandom, It's what hurt the 1996 Dr Who movie, It hurt the Knight Rider 2000 movie and it will hurt the new Knight Rider movie.

[Fantine]

I cannot abide KR2000. It is just horrid. Even the music sucketh.

I wanted to slap Shawn; they offed Devon, and Michael left KITT for a bass boat. The stupid little guesses of the future were just infuriating...the no drive-ins bit got me, that's a *huge* local money maker. I'm just picky.

My guess is that they will re-do the original story line, possibly with a cameo from KITT and Michael. (ala, Starsky and Hutch)

[Lost Knight]

I voted for the second option, include ideas from the original series and Knight Rider 2000. I've been over this ground before on explaining how I think the continuity should go, but I'll state my thoughts on it again. I consider KR2K canon because it included Michael, K.I.T.T., and Devon and was written as a continuation of the series. The fact of whether KR2K was a good movie or bad movie or if people liked it or not is completely irrelavant.

Yes, the movie made a lot of guesses about the future that pretty much ended up to be all incorrect, but it is actually quite easy to continue the new movie and include the events of KR2K. No alternate universe nonsense, just simply make the new movie further into the future or keep it in the present but be vague on the details of how the year 2000 actually was. Maybe not every detail could be overlooked like the cryogenic freezing, but I think KR2K stated (if I remember correctly) that THEIR city (Seattle) was the first to start this new unorthodox method of freezing prisoners, therefore maybe certain things could be restricted to that particular city?

Perhaps particular aspects of the world not pertaining to the main characters could be written off as being changed back to the way things always were before them? Think about it...how many movies could actually have been considered in an alternate universe yet still worked anyway? Any movie that shows the president of the United States as a made up person (Independence Day for example) is technically an alternate universe, right? So assuming everything from KR2K was continued, how would the new movie be any different or less believable than other sci-fi movies?

There really is no need to mention that Dan Quayle was president, Operation: Tropical Storm, the Philippine War, etc. I would rather see the new movie take place in present time and assuming it does, KR2K's predictions can still be ignored. My point on this is that I think it's only necessary to retain the facts concerning Knight Rider's characters, not anything else.

I would like to know what became of the Knight 4000, Shawn McCormick, and Russ Maddock. This doesn't mean they have to be in the movie; a brief reference would be sufficient enough. Our present is already the future of KR2K by this point so it could very simply be written that both characters retired or were maybe even killed. Team Knight Rider and Knight Rider 2010 did not include many (if any) elements of the original series as much as KR2K did.

I feel that KR2K was the only spin-off that really took the time to explain what became of the characters after the series as well as being the only spin-off to include some of the original series. I agree with the idea that the new movie should start off fresh with a new storyline, but it can very easily be done including canon. It just depends on how much expository dialogue is written into the script concerning the background of these characters.

[Phoenix915]

There are two possibilities of what this will movie will turn out to be:

CONTINUATION OF SERIES
-The original series is the one that the public knows best. TKR and KR2000 are just not well-known enough to be considered canon. If they are included, the public will be hopelessly confused. That doesn't mean that they can't do in-jokes, however.

-No Devon. He died with Mulhare.

-KITT= 1982 Black Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am. The car still looks modern today. He can get upgrades under the hood, but one of the key elements that will draw audiances is the nostagia connected to KITT. KITT needs to be his old self. If they use some dumb conceptual car, it just won't ring "Knight Rider" with the public. (My main gripe with KR2000.) And also: KITT = William Daniels.

-Does KITT need a new driver? Maybe, but it's possible Micheal might not want to share with the new driver. His relationship with KITT is deep, and just handing KITT over to a person who might not care about him as much might be difficult for Micheal.

-Micheal would never willingly let KITT be dismantled. (Another problem I had with KR2000, even if he was unaware.) If he did become obsolete and a waste of space, Micheal may've volunteered to take the car (or at least the CPU) off the Foundation's hands.

-I'd like to see a unusual person be chosen as the new driver and not a 'Micheal Knight Jr.'. I was thinking more towards a girl driver (NOT SHAWN), but a guy is fine.

REMAKE OF KNIGHT RIDER

-A remake of the original series may be the way the movie will go, otherwise we're at risk for another KR2000 turkey. Both Hasselhoff and Larson have given us different pictures of what happened after the series ended, and neither of them are on par with the original series. It may be simpler/easier to go back to the drawing board.

-Set in the present day, with Hasseloff in a combo of Wilton/Devon who acts a little Micheal-like, William Daniels as KITT, and a young male unknown as Micheal Knight, and a female unknown as Bonnie.

-KITT should still be a black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, for the reasons started above.

-The driver is Micheal here, so he can act like Mike did in the original series, and his secret identity should be a main point of the movie.

Whew. That's a long post...

[Lost Knight]

Since Edward Mulhare has passed away, obviously he can't be in the movie. Now for this aspect alone, unless they choose a different actor to play Devon Miles and keep him alive (which I think is not likely), don't they have to include the events of Knight Rider 2000? If they write in that Devon died some other way, I know that would definately make me scratch my head and ask why they didn't just leave the story the way he originally died. However, despite my wishes to have KR2K's story included, I do not think this is the route they are going to go because Glen Larson did not like KR2K and he is co-producing the movie.

[Irony]

I think TKR matched the original series without too obvious contradictions (I don't know the details since I only saw two episodes of TKR) so TKR could be no problem. The Team could show up as a cameo.
KR2000 had a so sci-fi-ish world, it didn't match. I can't imagine another Knight Rider story in that continuity. But, sadly, Devon's death is something that cannot be done any other way now (except for an off-screen death).
I don't know anything about KR2010.
KR(2008) could be ignored when the recently announced remakes (like Fantastic Four) come out and if they are accepted. But it's not likely to be ignored.

I think it's not the storyline that matters, it's the "Man of six words" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083437/trivia?tr0723132) concept that needs to return. All the sequels have the "Humans driving a fantastic car" concept instead of the "Man of six words".


Also a complete restart would be nice, if it is done well, done with respect, and done professionally. Something like Transformers Animated: it had sooo many cameos and references without any actual in-story explanations, and it WORKED.






Edited to add after reading the comments: Wasn't the fate KITT suffered at the beginning of / before KR2000 the fate KARR was meant to suffer, what KARR was running from? Being shut down and thrown away piece by piece? Ironic! (And very evil, but I don't think that needs to be explained.)

[Matthew]

Hi Irony,

Please check the date of the last post when replying to old threads, as this one is over five years old.

Matt

[Irony]

That is why I am the first to include the new series in this list. I wondered why the topic died but now I try hard to revive it.

[Matthew]

I think you're missing the point, Irony. Reviving threads that are more than a few months old is frowned up, and given that you've resurrected a number of old threads over the last few days, I feel it's necessary to ensure that you're aware of this.

Matt

[Victor Kros]

I have already explained multiple times which direction Glen wants to go in for the motion picture plans. Something new, yet familiar with the elements that need to be there to be considered Knight Rider without the reliance of using original cast/crew. Same characters, different faces. No connection to KR08, KR2000, or TKR whatsoever, sorry.

=VK=