Knight Rider movie rumor: Possible lead actor

Post by **Michael Pajaro** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 6:26 pm

Ah, there's the rub. What exactly are the wishes of the Knight Rider community? I'm with Neil... Hasselhoff was great. He will always be the one and only Michael Knight. But I'm ready to see someone else get behind the wheel of KITT. It could be a completely different character.

Hasselhoff COULD be the star of the movie. I think it's a smarter movie to hand the keys over to someone else.

Mike

knightimmortal · Post by **knightimmortal** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 6:37 pm

I personally would also like to see the torch passed, but to still keep Michael in a slightly stir-crazy role, like Devon's.

KI

March2875 · Post by **March2875** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:26 pm

Ive been told I can confuse people by poorly orgainizing my thoughts my dad calls it speaking with a forked tongue. Ive given different ideas of what I want the movie to be. Yes I was the one who mentioned that if Pierce Brosnon could still be playing James Bond that David could still play Michael and still be in the lead. I would prefer it be that way David as Michael in the present working with Kitt the good old days. Star Trek got this for the first 6 movies. I believe KR deserves the same.

However David based on his plot ideas doesn't sound like he wants to be the main character anymore. Not to mention I read in a Entertainment Weekly article about Team Knight Rider before it actually started that David was offered the role of Michael Knight to lead the TKR team like Kyle ended up doing. David was quoted as saying "Don't be silly those days are over."

What I don't want is a recast of Michael Knight and the movie to be Knight of the Phoenix 2004. I think that is a waste. In my opinion recasts are insults to the actors who once played the role if they are still capable of playing it. Id be willing to settle for Michael Knight now being the boss, or retired and then returning to help his replacement. I would watch a rehash of KR. But id refuse to enjoy it the same way I would if David was involved in any of my above mentioned ways. Hopfully this makes my postion much clearer.

CK · Post by CK » Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:27 pm

Who was that guy that played the "Highwayman"? I think he would make a pretty good driver for Kitt. Whatever happened to him anyway? I don't recall ever seeing him again after that show got cancelled.

Cheri

Post by **Matthew** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:56 pm

Well im with March2875. David really is the only one to be Michael, but i had'nt given thought to who Dan Paris might play other than being cast as a brand new version of Michael Knight (if he gets the job, and my local newspaper dint get misleading information). Dont get me wrong i could live with David not playing Michael, and i'd deffininatly pay to see the film no matter who stars in it, but it just wont be the same, and i hope David views boards like this one, so he knows some of our views.

Post by **neps** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 10:27 pm

Only have a second here, but this caught my eye, will post more later:

March2875 wrote:However David based on his plot ideas doesn't sound like he wants to be the main character anymore. Not to mention I read in a Entertainment Weekly article about Team Knight Rider before it actually started that David was offered the role of Michael Knight to lead the TKR team like Kyle ended up doing. David was quoted as saying "Don't be silly those days are over."

This is probably the article you are talking about. Notice it doesn't mean that he was offered being Kyles position. What I took it to mean was that he wasn't offered a piece of the pie, ie: he wasn't offered to be a producer of some type, just as a standard Actor.

January 31, 1997

Hey guys,

Just got my Entertainment Weekly for the week of 2-7-97. Has Tea Leoni on the cover. On pg 11, in the news and notes flashes section, there is a little interview with hasselfhoff about tkr. Text reads as follows:

---

SUSPENDED LICENSE NBC's campy '80s car-and-driver show Knight Rider is being reborn as the syndicated Team Knight Rider this fall, but without syndie king David Hasselhoff behind the wheel. Though the new show's producers invited the beach boy back to play driving avenger Michael Knight, "they just wanted to hire me as the actor," says Hasselhoff, who earns megabucks for wearing various hats on Baywatch and Baywatch Nights. "I said: 'Are you nuts? Those days are over.'" After his unlikely sucess with Baywatch, Knight Rider's producers may want to heed Hasselhoff's advice on how to make a high-octane hit. "I really kind of created that whole relationship between me and the car," says the Baywatch lifeguard, "and that was the charm of the show. If they retain some of the charm, it could go. But if it becomes something more like nuts and bolts and hardware, then it'll get lost in the crowd." -Casey Davidson

The picture is captioned A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER: Hasselhoff.

I have the article scanned, just need to find it in my archives. but you should get the idea about it. The image of Hasselhoff in the article is the head shot I used in the atoz section as well: http://www.knightrideronline.com/atoz/h.html

FOUND THE ARTICLE! nothing more to it though: http://www.knightrideronline.com/ew2797.jpg

Post by **Matthew** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 10:36 pm

Wow i remember when i first read that article. It was early/mid 99, and i was supposed to be doing my IT work at college, but i just had to find out about TKR so i spent an hour and a half lesson looking up Knight Rider on all the search engines i could think of. Ahh happy memories. Lol, when i think about it, its no wonder i failed my second year of college with flying colours, afterall it helps if you do the work.

March2875 · Post by **March2875** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 7:48 am

yep that was it. I went by memory which was pretty good. But as you say in proper context that would mean Are you nuts, the days of me being just and actor are over.

SadArticle · Post by **SadArticle** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 2:26 pm

neps wrote:
But it comes down to the target audence, do they want the 18-25 who spends alot of money at the movies or the 26 +. Thats gonna dictate the kind of picture they are going to make. And that will also dictate the size of Hasselhoffs on screen "roll."

just my .02, please don't shoot me for it.

regards,

neil

Aye, there's the rub

It such a shame that the original concept/charm might have to suffer, just because it's money that makes the rules, and decides what stays and what goes.

I can just imagine: some young nobody with limited talent, 'today's' music, CGI up to the knife-hilt ...

What about a compromise - Michael hires a new 'young loner', Kitt tells him that the youngblood is terrible, Michael agrees and steps back into his old shoes

Sarah

Post by **Michael Pajaro** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 2:42 pm

SadArticle wrote: It such a shame that the original concept/charm might have to suffer, just because it's money that makes the rules, and decides what stays and what goes.

Keep in mind that it was money making the rules that brought us Knight Rider in the first place. Do you think in 1982 some producer came up with Knight Rider as an outlet for his artistic expression? No, NBC wanted a fast car to beat the Dukes over at CBS. (although the 2 shows never went head-to head.)

Sometimes the financial decision coincides with the creative decision. And I believe that creatively, it can be a better movie with Hasselhoff stepping to the side a bit.

Mike

SadArticle · Post by **SadArticle** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 2:50 pm

Michael Pajaro wrote:
Keep in mind that it was money making the rules that brought us Knight Rider in the first place. Do you think in 1982 some producer came up with Knight Rider as an outlet for his artistic expression? No, NBC wanted a fast car to beat the Dukes over at CBS. (although the 2 shows never went head-to head.)

Sometimes the financial decision coincides with the creative decision. And I believe that creatively, it can be a better movie with Hasselhoff stepping to the side a bit.

Mike

I didn't say it didn't make the rules, just that it's unfair what sometimes happens because it does.

Knight Rider isn't a new idea, however - it already has a template, and that template was quite successful. Hasselhoff isn't brilliant as an actor, but he works in the role of Michael Knight. This is all I'm really on about - I've made it a personal crusade, for all the good that will do

Sarah

KR_Shady · Post by **KR_Shady** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 4:23 pm

Help...?

Knight Rider Archive · Post by **Knight Rider Archive** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 3:24 pm

As far as the movie goes, I'd love to see Hasselhoff in the driver's seat again as Michael Knight. I think I've already established that in earlier posts, and the whole Star Trek, James Bond, middle-aged argument (and Neil, you raise some good points).

I'm also with some of the others on the subject of rehashing "Knight of the Phoenix" / The Pilot Episode. Why bother? We've seen that one. We've seen it a lot. It's twenty years old. Okay, there're a lot of things they could go back and improve in 2003, but give us a new story! Surprise us!

I think Hasselhoff in the lead could work if you surround him with the right people. He *is* Michael Knight. You could go ahead and give him the "Devon" role -- the mentor to a new Rider. Or you could let him carry on alone, and give the role of the antagonist to a big name that could help sell the picture (kind of like what happened with the Batman films). Doesn't matter which way you look at it, it's the same as with the series -- people are going to want to go and see K.I.T.T. at the end of the day.

- Paul
- Knight Rider Archive
- http://members.fortunecity.com/knightriders/

Cuda426440 · Post by **Cuda426440** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 11:40 am

Hey guys, what about Wesley Snipes as the main character, with a little bit of Blade attitude?

K.I.T.T · Post by **K.I.T.T** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 12:33 pm

For me i would like an un-known actor to take on the ship if they had to use someone else....having another well known actor would just spoil it fo me....does that make sence?

K.I.T.T

knightimmortal · Post by **knightimmortal** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:26 pm

It makes complete sense, because then our expectations follow that actor, rather than the role they are playing.

If THAT made sense....

KI

knightrider_ni · Post by **knightrider_ni** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:31 pm

I agree with you KITT about a new actor if the lead is to be a different character, but possibly for a different reason. If it is successful and a new movie series starts we don't want some big name actor quitting after one of two films - oh how the batman films suffered!

however, michael knight should NOT be recast, and also if the movie follows on AFTER the series but Michael isn't in it in some form i'll feel insulted!

Michael, i know where you're coming from when you brought up the figures for the M:I and C.A. movie grosses. but speaking creatively, how many fans of those original seires actually liked those movies? you could probably count them on one hand, and it's ok to say it has to appeal to a new audience too, and that money talks to the big studios, but if we (the fans of the original) are insulted like those movie franchises did to their shows' fans, there won't be too many happy bunnies around here

i know they were successful films, but look at how the Wild Wild West film suffered. it can go the other way and i think people are starting to wise up to that now. knight rider, to me at least, was way ahead of its time and led the way for a slew of 80's shows... the movie shouldn't just copy every other action movie/tv show remake movie out there, it should be trying something new like it did in the 80s. this time around maybe that could equate to actually FEELING like the show it's based on! THAT would be a first for hollywood, and original!

just to point out a lil' example: i'm not sure how everyone who has seen it here feels, but almost everyone i've spoken to about the latest Bond movie thought it stank rancid oranges! the first hour was really good when you minus madonna's song, madonna's cameo, and that bloomin' invisible car(!) but the second half just ended up turning into "any other action movie out there today". Bond used to lead the way, Day Another Day just jumped on the current cinema trend bandwagons... I prey the next Bond movie and the KR movie don't make the same mistakes.

(By the way, good to see y'all again, i trust everyone is having a pleasant 2003 so far

)

K.I.T.T · Post by **K.I.T.T** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:38 pm

knightimmortal wrote:It makes complete sense, because then our expectations follow that actor, rather than the role they are playing.

If THAT made sense....

KI

yeah you make sence K.I thats sort of what i was trying to say...my heads floating with all sorts of things...took a while to sort it out LOL

K.I.T.T

Post by **neps** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:45 pm

knightrider_ni wrote:I agree with you KITT about a new actor if the lead is to be a different character, but possibly for a different reason. If it is successful and a new movie series starts we don't want some big name actor quitting after one of two films - oh how the batman films suffered!

Just to interject here a moment:

i think we have Joel Schumacher to blame for that one not Michael Keaton. Keaton was on board as long as Burton was doing the film. Once Schumacher began to helm the film Keaton didn't like the direction the films were going and decided to pass on the film. There have been rumors that Keaton will don the cape for the Catwoman film that should be going. Although this has been a rumor for years, and weither its just fan boy fantasy remains to be seen.

Which brings up a good point about TV actor playing movie role. Adam West was upset when he wasn't chosen to play Batman in the movie version. Could you have imagined how different that would have been? People mocked Keaton as Batman, but many feel he was the best so far.

knightrider_ni · Post by **knightrider_ni** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:50 pm

oops, shoulda made myself clear. i know why keaton left, but after he did was what i was referring to. actors coming and going from film to film... and now maybe another film (or two, depending on what rumours we listen to) and again different actors in the batman role. definitely not what we want if they get it right with the first film and decide to make a decent series out of it.

knightimmortal · Post by **knightimmortal** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:54 pm

As for the new Bond Film, most people around here loved it. Of course, many of them can't get past Hallie Berry, so....

KI

knightrider_ni · Post by **knightrider_ni** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 2:02 pm

they did?! primus help us all!!

but i won't start, said everything in the last post and trying to erase the film from my Bond-loving memory

but just wanted to add - everybody has been saying a big "NO!" to that neighbours guy (and i personally agree) but are there any other new(-ish) actors out there that anybody would actually like to see in the role of a new lone operative of FLAG? obviously, names of films and characters they've played may be needed since we may not know them off the tops of our heads.[/i]

Knight Rider movie rumor: Possible lead actor

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