When touring the Knight Rider set a short while ago there was one place we knew we could not leave without checking out. Nestled in amongst the sound stages is the home of MasterKeyFilms the Visual Effects department behind some of the most amazing scenes in Knight Rider. We caught them busy at work designing our hero KITT's arch-enemy KARR. Lookout for some spoilers ahead, but if our video leaves you wanting more you will just have to tune in on Wednesdays!
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.
Thanks to Phoenixzero for the tip
It looks like the promotion for the reboot of Knight Rider has started to kick itself into high gear. Readers reported seeing a new Knight Rider teaser air several times during NFL Playoff football today and our own Michael Pajaro was able to catch it.
We aren't quite sure what we are seeing in the beginning, what do you think it is? Looking forward to more as its revealed.
[Thanks to djshag69 for the original alert!]
All the Knight Rider fans across the globe wish to extend our sincerest warm wishes to Glen A. Larson as he turns 72 years old today. Mr. Larson not only is the creator of Knight Rider but many other countless shows such "The Fall Guy", "Battlestar: Galactica" and "Buck Rogers In the 25th Century", "Nightman" and more.
Mr. Larson is currently working to bring a motion picture version of Knight Rider to the big screen which is believed to be in the final portion of the screenwriting stage. He is scheduled to appear at the Knight Festival in Las Vegas this March.
Check out our earlier interview from this year at the Knight Rider Event at Saugus Raceway.
NBC has released the official description for episode 13 entitled I Love the Knight Life set to air on January 28, 2009. Since it contains minor spoilers, we have placed it on it's episode guide page. (hints at the return of FLAG!)
The official NBC blogs saw updates this week in wake of the latest episode.
From the Knight Writers on Knight Fever:
Easily the most frustrating episode of the season. Originally, "Knight Fever" was conceived and shot as the 2nd episode of the season for us (to air back in early October). The idea was to have Kitt contract a tech-eating virus (think Ebola for machines) and nearly die. Well, that's what we shot and planned to put on screen - the special effects were another matter entirely. Turns out it's harder to make a virus look cool on screen than we ever expected. Two special effects teams and seven months later, we sort of realized that less is more. The virus you see now is the result.
It's worth heading over to Knight Writers and read the rest of the story on how episode two became episode nine.
On the fictional Billy's Notes from the Underground, Billy gets into the real reason he's been so quiet as of late, themed after this weeks episode.
Anyways, I got A LOT of work to do this week. We almost lost every system we have running. Be thankful that when things get ugly in your workplace, your boss doesn't have a self-destruct button at his or her disposal. (I'm assuming you don't work on a nuclear-powered submarine, a starship, or in a secret underground lair full of super-classified technology)
Check out this pretty thrilling teaser for next years episodes that aired after last nights episode. The next batch of episodes are shaping up to be great, and look there is KARR!
Let us know what you thought of last nights episode in our discussion thread! The reaction seems very positive and we hope that even though it was New Years Eve (when many people are out) that the ratings stood up to the challenge!
When we were on the set of episode 17 a few weeks ago we met Visual Effects Set Supervisor Eliza Pelham Randall. She showed us how she was recording the data needed to integrate a visual effect into a scene of this season's final episode. But much to our delight, as well as the delight of actor Justin Bruening, this little stunt was not going to rely solely on visual effects. While we are certain that the Visual Effects team over at MasterKey is going to blow our minds with the final product, we just could not resist ushering out the old year with a bang and ushering in the new one with some spoilers.
This is the last of 9 episodes before the reboot begins next week, so get ready for the world to be flipped. Tonights episode is called Knight Fever and it airs at 8pm TONIGHT December 31st!
KITT MAY HAVE MET HIS MATCH WHEN HE FALLS VICTIM TO A DESTRUCTIVE COMPUTER VIRUS-- Mike (Justin Bruening) must stop the spread of a computer virus that threatens a total global meltdown. The job gets much harder when KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) is infected. Meanwhile, Mike's jealousy begins to show when Sarah (Deanna Russo) reconnects with an old flame (guest star Jeffrey Pierce, "The Nine"), who may be the key to solving the latest mission.
While visiting the Knight Rider set we met a bunch of really cool stand-ins and stunt doubles for the major cast members. But when it comes to picking a favorite, I think we might have to agree with Picture Car Coordinator Charlie Ping. That's right our favorite is KITT's stunt double, a car that goes by the name KR3. Find out why by watching the video below.
In this video posted to Hulu, actor Paul Campbell tries to convince members of the cast and crew of Knight Rider to get behind his story idea that he wishes to pitch to Gary Scott Thompson, series Executive Producer and Showrunner. Will he convince anyone to stand behind his idea, and what will Gary think? Check out the fun entertaining look behind the scenes.
Also, be sure to check out the end of the message for a special seasons greetings message from Paul, Smith Cho, Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo and KITT.
REMEMBER: KNIGHT RIDER RETURNS THIS WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31ST with KNIGHT FEVER - TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
PS: Big thanks to Paul Campbell for letting a couple of our friends Michael and AJ in the background of the lunch scene - congrats guys!
The news became official today as NBC released a synopsis of episode 12, Knight to King's Pawn - the episode where KARR is set to reappear. The synopsis contains spoilers, so it's available after the jump.
If you're pants can handle the load, check out masterkeyfilms.com and find their reel. You can see this scene and bits of other signs of things to come. The second half of Knight Rider is going to be an amazing show to watch.
Here is part two of our interview with Stu Phillips, series composer and creator for the Knight Rider theme. We talked with him about his long time partnership with Glen Larson and if he has any plans to work with him in the future. We also got a peek at his original music timing sheets and learned about the process of scoring a television show. Check out our video below!
Be sure to check out Stu's website at stuwho.com for more information on Mr. Phillips.
His Knight Rider CD is available instantly on iTunes:
Knight Rider (Original TV Soundtrack)
$24.99
A huge amount of thanks goes to Mr. Phillips for generating his valuable time to this interview. He has always been very cordial and supportive to all fans, and that's really appreciated from a man of his talent. We look forward to speaking with him again at the Knight Rider Festival in Las Vegas this March.
