This is from: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34497
A few weeks back, NBC announced a TV movie/backdoor pilot aimed at
re-launching the KNIGHT RIDER franchise. We subsequently reported that
Glen
Larson's long-gestating film reboot of the concept was concurrently being
positioned by The Weinstein Company. This is possible because
NBC/Universal
holds the television rights to the franchise, while Larson holds the film
rights. I'm not sure what the current status of the feature film is.I
haven't
heard anything conclusive one way or another.
Although, I can tell you that NBC has a script for the two hour KNIGHT
RIDER
relaunch. And, I've read it. I thought you might be curious about what the
network has in mind.
WARNING!!! THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW!!!
THEY ARE VERY BROAD IN NATURE- I'M LEAVING OUT MANY DETAILS - BUT THEY'RE
STILL SPOILERS
There's good news and bad news, all of which depends on your perspective I
suppose.
Word is Larson's film project is a ground up reworking of the KNIGHT RIDER
mythos - which might appeal to folks who were passingly interested in the
supercar concept, but didn't really care for the original series too much.
NBC's television movie/backdoor pilot, on the other hand, is VERY MUCH A
SEQUEL to the original David Hasselhoff series. It takes the heart and
soul
of KNIGHT RIDER, gives it a little more edge.a dash more intelligence (but
not too much).an often clever sense of wit...slicks it up a bit.and hits
the
ground running.
Through most of David Andron's teleplay, cursory allusions are made to a
Trans-Am supercar from decades ago; Hasselhoff's Michael Knight and
K.I.T.T.
have assumed something of an urban legend status. We don't know what
happened to them.or what became of their high-tech crime fighting
exploits.
However, in the last third (or so) of the script, this project's
relationship to the original KNIGHT RIDER series becomes startlingly
evident. This isn't handled in a tip-of-the-hat, affectionate homage sort
of
way, either. By the end of the show, we realize we're watching a sequel.a
continuation.grounded in the same "universe" as the original, only with
new
characters. And some.who aren't so new.
Is it fun? It's fun. Is it great? It's KNIGHT RIDER. KNIGHT RIDER (as a
whole) is defined by cool cars doing dopey things, witty banter between an
irascible driver and his supercomputer partner, and a frivolous lack of
true
jeopardy - hardly the stuff of lofty narrative. The same qualities are
present here. There are also classically structured cliffhangers that lead
us into commercials.we pick up right where we left off when returning from
commercial breaks.in fact, the whole structure/feel of the show feels.80s.
This is NOT to say the show is fully retro; it is decidedly modern in
sensibility and technology. This is primarily evident in the conception
of,
and treatment of, the new K.I.T.T. car.
Yes, the car still talks. I don't know what voice they want to use.but
references are made to the original KNIGHT RIDER theme music, and..given
that this is a sequel.it's safe to assume Wiliam Daniels (who voiced the
original K.I.T.T.) would at least be considered.
K.I.T.T. now guides its driver through situations remotely, MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE style - using a Bluetooth-like device to communicate verbally
with operatives while tapping into security camera video feeds.
It uses high-end profiling software to locate (or evade) bad guys in a
crowd. There's a nifty cat and mouse sequence set in a casino.in which
K.I.T.T. maneuvers its driver through a crowded room & away from the
villains while cross-referencing badguy images lifted from surveillance
footage that was snagged earlier.
It seizes and controls technological infrastructures (like power lines,
computer networks, door controls, etc.) to facilitate missions.
It has an arsenal of portable tech human companions can use to this
end.night vision devices and whatnot.
It can camouflage itself (primarily a color shifting technology, although
there is some physical manipulation involved) - appearing to be other cars
(the sense is that they're usually roughly the same mass).
K.I.T.T.is more like a Special Forces asset than a gimmick in this
iteration.
It runs on gasoline (with performance optimized to over 140mpg via
solar-powered back-up, etc.). It's very autonomous.in fact, it is more or
less the "hero" of this piece until approx half way through the script.
Its best sequence? There's a moment when K.I.T.T. attempts to console
someone who has lost her father. It's a machine.an AI.and doesn't know how
to relate to raw emotions, so all it can do is try to be there for her by
using (literally) textbook examples and research materials. K.I.T.T. feels
very much like vintage Spock in this script. There's a coldness to it, but
also a sweet charm.
New character include (but are not limited to).
MIKE TRACER: an ex Army Ranger, now disillusioned and disenfranchised.
He's
a shitty gambler and an unsuccessful race car driver. He's pulled into the
world of K.I.T.T. because of his very special connection to the past
KNIGHT
RIDER incarnation. The first time we see him, he's waking up in bed with a
fabulous babe. A few minutes later, another one steps out of the restroom.
CHARLES KAMEN: a designer of the "Knight Industries Two Thousand -
K.I.T.T.",
once driven by Michael Knight. He's recently finished the "Knight
Industries
Three Thousand - K.I.T.T." - which is a very good thing when the shit hits
the fan. At one point Mike calls Charles "insane" for trying to make a
difference with his nutty car. "This world is insane" says Charles. "This
is
the definition of sanity."
SARAH KAMEN: Charles' daughter. She and Mike had a thing going a while
back,
and discover they've been unnecessarily alienated for years due to bad
timing and simple misunderstandings.
CARRIE RAVAI: a bad-ass FBI agent. The first time we see her, she's waking
up in bed with a fabulous babe.
AMIR and ZION: Middle Eastern enforcers/collectors who constantly lean on
Tracer to pay back money he borrowed. Tracer doesn't have it.
WELTHER, BELLE, SMOKE, SAM, and CROSS: Think in terms of DIE HARD villains
mixed with Private Military Contractors. They're after data about
something
called "Legion". Like the Rabbit's Foot in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, we
learn
little about it what Legion actually is.but people will do anything to get
it, and the government is mortified it'll fall into the wrong hands. Like
K.I.T.T., Legion is a Charles Kamen project.
While they've yet to find the Legion details they seek on harddrives
stolen
from Kamen, the baddies have managed to decipher one critical bit of
information: tech specs on K.I.T.T., and how to shut it down.
As you might be able to tell.there's been a slight tweak to the general
thrust of KNIGHT RIDER. This story itself is relatively small in scale,
but
it's large in conceptual scope. It's.immediate. There's an implication
that
the (possible) further adventures of Tracer, K.I.T.T. and the Knight
Industries team will be global in nature. Blackriver.this installment's
big
bad (think: Halliburton) is still in play when the script wraps up, as is
THE CLIENT - the mysterious personality who wants Legion for whatever
nefarious reasons.
The one element I find most agreeable about this script: it's perfectly
happy to be "fun", never thinks too highly of itself, shows a vast respect
for its source material while gently nudging it into a different
decade.different century.different millennia (boy that's weird to think
about).
Brisk, breezy fun that's smart enough not to insult, offering enough
clever
twists as not to bore. Could be worse. Could be a lot worse.
|
