Results tagged “Gary Scott Thompson”

When we learned a few weeks ago that the Knight Rider season was shortened we were all fearful of what it might mean for the future of the show. In an interview with showrunner Gary Scott Thompson he explained to us that the cut back was a cost cutting measure by NBC and not a signal that they had given up on the show. Alan Frutkin of Mediaweek was able to sit down again with Gary and talk openly about the show's future. Check out their video. And if you love Knight Rider and want to see more be sure to tell your friends to tune in. We know we are very optimistic for the future.

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Thanks to Phoenixzero for the tip

With our latest visit to the set there was one nagging question on our minds. Does the reduction in the episode order signify the series cancellation? Show Runner Gary Scott Thompson reassured us with his answer in the following video.

[Shorter clip on YouTube for Embeding]

**EDITIORIAL NOTE** Knight Rider needs our support more than ever! Please send this video to TV sites that you frequent or embed the video on your blog. If you can - hit the Digg button as well (requires digg membership). It is critical that we get this video in front of as many eyes as possible. Media outlets are falsely reporting that Knight Rider is canceled when it clearly is not. Help spread the word! We can all make a difference!

Transcript available after the jump.

Executive Producer and Showrunner Gary Scott Thompson just posted an article where he continues to answer some "viewer" mail. Below are some of our favorites:

Why is the AI of the KI3T still learning if it is the most advanced car on earth? There are things that Mike can teach Kitt than no computer programmer can.

If KITT is "still learning" after six months, then what has he learned so far?
This one I don't want to spoil here. You'll have to keep watching to find out...

Does Kitt have to be in attack mode to keep bullets and things from penetrating?
No.

Is KITT ever going to drive on 2 wheels?
The writers are working on getting him on two wheels in an episode.

Will KITT eventually smash into things or just continue to avoid them?
Hopefully we'll do a little of both.

Will you explain specifically how Charles Graiman connects to the original series? Flashbacks perhaps?
Upcoming episodes will clarify Graiman's connection to the original series.

Will you ever show a "normal" turbo boost jump that happens in real time?
We're working on it, but I don't have enough cars to wreck yet.

Will there be a mobile lab like the semi in the earlier knight rider?
We're thinking about that.

Be sure to check out the complete article for all of the Q&A. As fans we owe Gary a lot of thanks for answering our questions, and hearing what we have to say - even if his answers aren't as revealing as one would hope. Gotta save something for the show!

On NBC's Knight Writers blog, wirters from the series will be interacting and answering questions from the audience. The entries thus far have come from Gary Scott Thompson himself. This week he answers some viewer mail:

What happened to FLAG? You'll find about FLAG in episode 13.

I hope you're going to continue the story with kitt vs karr.
Keep watching, KARR has not been forgotten.

what is the username and password for Knight Industries Research?
Watch the show for clues...

Thanks again for bringing Knight Rider back! I would like to ask that hopefully in the series you will get to explain Flag, Devon, Bonnie, Michael Knight, & the Knight Industries Two Thousand's where abouts! Can't wait to see what happens!
Keep watching...

Is it just me, or are WAY TOO MANY people completely missing the point that this show is just plain old fun, and that it intentionally doesn't take itself that seriously?
You are correct. We're trying to be fun and entertaining in much the same way the original Knight Rider was.

Be sure to check out the complete article for all of the Q&A including an update on Hasselhoff and KITTs technologies.

From NBCs press kit we have a number of onset interviews to share with you. Included are Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Bruce Davison, Yancey Arias, Smith Cho, Paul Campbell, Gary Scott Thompson and Elan & Rajeev Dassani.

In order to save on page load times for those with smaller connections, the videos are after the jump!

Showrunner and Executive Producer Gary Scott Thompson was interviewed recently by Newsarama. He had some interesting things to say about taking over the series after the two hour pilot:

"The funny thing is we went to the Television Critics Association and the critics already had a preconceived notion," says Thompson. "They looked at us and said 'We already saw the two hour so this is going to blow.' I am like 'Give us a chance! We haven't even aired! You don't know what we are doing! We are revamping the series. It is going to be different!' Then I go to Comic Con the same week and the fans were excited to see what we were going to do. When we asked for them to give us a shot, it was like 'Absolutely! We'll be there!' We showed them the four minute clip and they went crazy. One of the last questions was whether they could see it again. I don't fault the critics but unless it's up there as an Emmy winner...... Well, that's not my objective. My objective is to bring eyeballs and get people to watch."

Additionally, Thompson went on to talk about Hasselhoff and the original KITT's return:

"In the two hour, you did see bits and pieces of it," reports Thompson. "We're leaving that right now because there is an opportunity with David Hasselhoff returning at some point. We've discussed it and are discussing it. I don't know if it's going to happen just because of scheduling. It's something we are actually talking about so if we did do it, that would be the point I would want to bring Kitt back."

"We are a car savvy nation where we love our cars. We also spend a lot of time in our car and in some ways, this has a wish fulfillment element. Everybody wishes they had a car that could drive itself or transform so you could sleep and Kitt can do that. The biggest thing is to really keep moving. If you are going to do a show about a car, you need to go fast. The cars need to be really cool and have amazing stunts and races. The other is you need really cool characters driving them."

[Producer Gary Scott Thompson on the New Knight Rider]

Continuing their coverage of Knight Rider, today Sci Fi Wire wrote about their trip to the Satellite Surveillance Center (SSC) or what has been more commonly called the "KITTCave"

In reality, the lab--situated in an undisclosed location in an unidentified city--is actually an elaborate set at Santa Clarita Studios, just north of Los Angeles. The set represents K.I.T.T.'s multilevel underground hideout.

In the center of the set, on a rotating metal platform, sits the $75,000 2008 Ford Mustang GT500KR itself. When K.I.T.T.'s ready to go, it revs up and speeds down a tunnel inside a soundstage. "They don't let me drive it very much, but I get to sit in it, and it's pretty comfortable," admitted star Justin Bruening, who plays Mike Tracer, the ex-soldier who is the human companion to the super-intelligent talking car voiced by Val Kilmer. (Tracer acquires the codename "Michael Knight" in the show's first episode.)

Definately an interesting read that is worth checking out!

[Knight's K.I.T.T. Cave Revealed]

NBC just hooked us up with this Primetime Preview of the Knight Rider 2008 series airing in September. This three minute clip is pretty sweet and contains both footage from the pilot and unseen footage from the series. Also to note is some behind the scenes look at the 3D transformation process and some interviews with Gary Scott Thompson and David Andron.

This is part of a larger 30 minute preview that will be airing on select markets and channels (even airlines) in the month leading up to the series premier.

From TVWeek:

The network said Tuesday that it will syndicate the special to all of its 232 local stations and its vast array of cable holdings, including USA, Sci Fi, Bravo, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, Chiller and Sleuth. In addition, the show will be available for on-demand Internet streaming via NBC.com as well as local stations' Web sites.

Wow, what a last few days we've had. We hope that everyone was able to ride along with us in covering the San Diego Comic Con events for Knight Rider!

We owe a huge amount of thanks to the good folks over at NBCUniversal (you know who you are) for hooking us up with the level of access required to deliver like we did. We also want to thank all the cast and crew that spoke with us over the two days, but specially Gary, Deanna and Justin for spending alot of time answering our silly questions and going the extra mile to make us feel confident in the series that lies ahead.

We hope you all enjoyed learning about the new changes and tidbits (insert spoilers here!) of what the show will be like as much as we did. Hopefully it can hold us over for a bit!

I know we sound like a broken record, but this really is an exciting time for Knight Rider. It's only going to be getting crazier from this point forward in a very amazing way. We have a lot of exciting things planed, so I hope we have shown you where you need to be for all things Knight Rider

In case you missed it, here is a listing of our coverage on the day of the event it took place on. (which may vary from posted date just due to scheduling)

Pre Comic Con - Thursday, July 24th
Internet Teaser [Video]

Knight Rider Series Panel - Thursday, July 24th
NBC's Comic-Con 2008 Panel Footage [Video]
Knight Rider 2008 Panel [Photos]
Interview with Bruce Davison [Video]
Interview with Deanna Russo [Video]
Interview with Gary Scott Thompson [Video]
Interview with Justin Bruening [Video]
Interview with David Bartis [Video]
Knight Rider 2008 Panel Transcript [Text]

Attack KITT Reveal - Friday, July 25th
Justin, Deanna and Gary at Attack KITT Reveal [Photos]
Attack KITT Reveal [Photos]
Gary Scott Thompson Explains Attack KITT [Video]
Justin Bruening at the Attack KITT Reveal [Video]
Deanna Russo at the Attack KITT Reveal [Video]

Gary Scott Thompson took some time to walk us through the finer details of the Attack KITT, which was revealed yesterday at San Diego Comic Con. Check out what cool things this car can do, and get a sneak peak of what Turbo Boost is going to be like. We really thank him for going this in depth for everyone!

This was filmed exclusively for Knight Rider Online at the San Diego Comic Con 2008!

Read the complete transcript after the jump.

[Interview with Gary at Panel Junket]
[more coverage]

Here is some more of our interview with Gary Scott Thompson, Executive Producer and Showrunner. This was filmed exclusively for Knight Rider Online at the San Diego Comic Con 2008!

Be sure to check out the end of the interview with Deanna Russo for more of us with Gary here.

As we learned a few days ago, Gary Scott Thompson has been officially been announced as Showrunner via The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

Mr Thompson is best known for the blockbuster Fast and the Furious and Executive Producer of Las Vegas for NBC (which recently ended its run) is in the process of hiring writers. Doug Liman and David Bartis will stay on as Executive Producers. Writer David Andron will stay on as Consulting Producer.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Thompson will work on the show under a new two-year deal he has inked with "Rider" producer Universal Media Studios.

Thompson is joined by "Las Vegas" exec producer Matt Pyken on "Rider," a sequel to the 1980s series. The two will serve as exec producers alongside Dave Bartis and Doug Liman, who exec produced the series' two-hour backdoor pilot that aired in February. The pilot's writer, Dave Andron, will serve as a consulting producer.

Thompson is now hiring writers. The plan is to go quickly into production to allow plenty of time for postproduction.

"We didn't have a ton of time on the movie, which was done on a very tight schedule, so the biggest thing we want to do with the series is have more action and special effects, which requires time," Pope said.

From Variety:

UMS prexy Katherine Pope said that as soon as it became clear "Knight" was headed to series, landing Thompson became a priority.

"The network and studio all came to this idea separately. There was a list of one," Pope told Daily Variety.

image from Variety