‘Knight Rider’ returns to television

Preview by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, February 2, 2008

“Knight Rider,” the shadowy flight into a dangerous world of a man … who does not exist, returns to primetime television on Sunday, Feb. 17, with a two-hour movie on NBC. The original sci-fi series ran from 1982 to 1986, and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, an agent of the Knight Foundation who protected the innocent and powerless in a world of criminals who operated above the law. He did so with the help of a high-tech Pontiac Firebird Trans Am known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand. KITT had the ability to shield Michael from bullets, outrun pursuers and offer quippy one-liners. The movie is a continuation of that classic series. In it, Justin Bruening, a 28-year-old soap star, will play Mike Tracer, Michael Knight’s estranged son. Fresh from a tour of duty, Tracer is called upon to be a hero when his childhood friend, Sarah Graimen (Deanna Russo), and her father, KITT’s creator Charles (Bruce Davison), are targeted by malevolent forces. With the movie set in modern times, Tracer is aided by Knight Industries Three Thousand, an updated Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang version of KITT. Bruening and “Knight Rider” producer David Bartis recently took time to answer some burning questions and provide insight into the telepic. Among the topics of discussion … •Will the ’Hoff make an appearance? …

“Knight Rider” stars Justin Bruening and Deanna Russo.

“In regards to the David Hasselhoff question, yes – I mean, we always knew that David had to have a role in this project,” Bartis said. “You know, we’ve spent a lot of time with him, both before production and in production.

“And, you know, the thing that surprised me the first time I met him was that ‘Knight Rider’ is something that’s really important to him, and he’s very passionate about ... more so than I think almost anything else that he’s ever done – even ‘Baywatch,’ which he owned and he was on the air with for 11 years.

“It’s still ‘Knight Rider’ that he really seems to have the stronger connection with. And he had this inherent sort of understanding of what made it work and what the fans responded to.

“So for us, that was a tremendous asset to be able to tap into and get a sense from him of what elements we would carry over to the new version that, you know, he was passionate about and that he felt made the show work for the audience.

“I think everybody will be excited to see the way we’ve worked him into the show as Michael Knight.”

•The new lead is a fan of the original series …

“When I first got the appointment sheet for the initial audition ... I called my agent right away and I said I want to do it,” Bruening said. “This is something from my childhood and I was a huge fan. You know, ‘Knight Rider’ was an iconic figure in my childhood. I’d run around my house in a leather jacket and, you know, fight indiscriminate crime in my house.

“So that was something that really was a huge part of my childhood,” he said. “And, you know, everything that David said right before that – you know, it’s the cool guy, a cool car. As a little boy, that’s the best show on television.”

The new KITT.

•The movie’s opening credits will sound familiar …

Remember the iconic opening credits? So does Bartis.

“We want to give people some elements that they’re going to be familiar with, but then bring something new to it. So that’s really what we did. You’re going to recognize the theme,” he said. “But it’s completely re-recorded, re-instrumentalized, and to me it’s pretty exciting. But, you know, what you love about it is there still.”

•KITT will not sound familiar …

Film star Val Kilmer (“Batman Forever,” “Top Gun”) will provide KITT’s voice in the movie. Bartis said he hopes to work with original car vocalist William Daniels in some capacity should the telepic become a series.

Speaking of which …

•If the movie is a success, the cast and crew are primed to resurrect the series …

“Absolutely,” Bartis said. “We have such a fantastic cast and team put together on this. We just got lucky. I’m like knocking on wood right now. It’s just been a great experience and we had a lot of fun making it.

“And everybody’s performance is spectacular. And ... it’s always a combination of good planning and good luck. And it happened that way for us. So, yeah, we’re hoping we get that shot.”

“Knight Rider” airs at 9 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17, on NBC (Ch. 2 on Time Warner Cable).

(NBC photos: Chris Haston)