Cast: February 2008 Archives

David Hasselhoff who played Michael Knight and Peter Parros who played RC3 have recently chimed in seperately about the new Knight Rider pilot and their involvement.

First we had David Hasselhoff who posted on his website in advance of the original premier on February 17th. David reprises his role for the movie.

Hey guys, I'm really excited about the return of Knight Rider to television,

Sunday, February 17th at 9 pm (8 c) on NBC.

It was a blast from the past and I did it for you, my fans. Want to see more Knight Rider and more of The Hoff? Let NBC know you Hoffta have it by clicking here!!

Ride on!
David.

Peter Parros who played RC3, let his opinion be known via Knight Rider UK today:

Yes, I saw the new show. I thought the story was weak.

You can read his complete take on the movie at Knight Rider UK.

We are back with part 2 of our exclusive interview with Deanna Russo - who plays Sarah Graiman, daughter of Charles Graiman - creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand and childhood friend of Mike Traceur.

Continue to read our exclusive interview with her. Also be sure to check out our previous interviews with David Bartis, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Kevin Dunigan.

Familiar to faces as Logan Armstrong in the Young and the Restless, Deanna Russo comes to Knight Rider very eager for action. In the NBC Knight Rider movie airing February 17th, Deanna plays Sarah Graiman, daughter of Charles Graiman - creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand and childhood friend of Mike Traceur. We speak to her about her characters pivotal role.

Continue to read our exclusive interview with her. Also be sure to check out our previous interviews with David Bartis, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Kevin Dunigan.

After a successful career in security in the entertainment industry protecting people like Arsenio Hall, En Vouge and Toni Braxton; he decided he wanted to give acting a chance, and fulfill a life long dream. On Sunday February 17th you can see him in the character of "Smoke" as part of an elite force trying to capture KITT

Continue to read our exclusive interview with him. Also be sure to check out our previous interviews with David Bartis and Sydney Tamiia Poitier.

In a story we exclusively broke to you yesterday: Will Arnett had to drop from the Knight Rider project - Val Kilmer has stepped into his place. And now - proper media channels are reporting it too:

From Variety:

Val Kilmer voices 'Knight Rider' Actor replaces Will Arnett as NBC's KITT By JOSEF ADALIAN

A carmaker conflict has caused NBC to hire Val Kilmer to replace Will Arnett as the voice of KITT on its "Knight Rider" revival.

Arnett ("Arrested Development") had already completed his part for the pic, which is slated to debut on NBC in less than two weeks. Producers Doug Liman, Dave Bartis and Dave Andron -- along with the network and studio -- were all fine with his performance.

Problem is, Arnett had a contractual conflict of interest.

For the better part of a decade, Arnett has done voice-over work for General Motors -- as the voice of GMC Trucks. NBC's new "Knight," however, is "played" by a Ford Mustang.

What's more, Ford isn't simply providing cars for "Knight Rider." It's taking an active role in the marketing and branding of the pic, a backdoor pilot for a possible series. Ford's logo even appears all over NBC's on-air promos for the pic.

Not surprisingly, when GM found out about the Ford connection, it asked Arnett to pull out.

"I was very excited at the prospect of playing the part of KITT in the new 'Knight Rider' movie," Arnett said. "However, because of a long relationship with General Motors as the voice of GMC Trucks, I had to respectfully withdraw from the project."

While NBC and Universal Media Studios will have to scramble to replace Arnett's dialogue with Kilmer's work, the upside is landing a well-known name for the part. In addition to his roles in pics such as "Batman Forever," "Heat" and "Top Gun," Kilmer has done plenty of voice-over work, including the voice of Moses in 1998's "The Prince of Egypt."

From BBC:

Kilmer 'will voice' Knight Rider

Val Kilmer is to provide the voice of talking car Kitt in the TV movie remake of the 1980s series Knight Rider, trade magazine Variety says.

He replaces Will Arnett, star of comedy Arrested Development, who pulled out after a row over motor company Ford's sponsorship of the film, Variety adds.

It said Ford's rival, General Motors, asked him to step down because he had voiced adverts for the firm.

The film is due to air on the NBC network in the US on 17 February.

Guest appearance

Arnett told Variety he had been "very excited" about voicing the part of Kitt, which he had already recorded.

"However, because of a long relationship with General Motors as the voice of GMC Trucks, I had to respectfully withdraw from the project," he added.

Bourne Identity director Doug Liman is executive producer of the pilot, which will lead to a TV series if successful.

Soap actor Justin Bruening, 28, stars as the son of David Hasselhoff's original character, Michael Knight.

Hasselhoff will also make a guest appearance, reprising his career-making role.

Sydney Tamiia Poitier plays Carrie Rivai, an FBI agent with connections to Charles Graiman, who in this version created the original KITT and the new Knight Industries Three Thousand. We were fortunate to speak to her about her character via telephone on January 17th.