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Knight Rider (2008 film)
Encyclopedia
Knight Rider is a 2008 television movie
which was created to serve as a backdoor pilot for the new Knight Rider
television series, a revival of the series of the same name which aired during the 1980s. This film does not refer to either the Knight Rider 2000
film or the Team Knight Rider
television series.
Mike Traceur (Bruening), a 23-year-old ex-Army Ranger
, is awakened by his friend Dylan Fass to deal with two men who are attempting to collect a $90,000 gambling debt. Traceur's car breaks down when he attempts to flee, and the men threaten Fass's life if Traceur does not pay the debt.
FBI agent Carrie Rivai (Poitier) receives a call that Graiman, her longtime friend, is dead and leaves her date, a woman she met the night before, to investigate.
Sarah Graiman (Russo), a 24-year old Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University
, lectures a class on nanotechnology
. After the lecture she receives a phone call from KITT warning her about the men planning to abduct her. Her pursuers catch her, but KITT rescues her. Sarah and KITT track down Traceur, who turns out to be her childhood friend, and whom she was involved with has not seen since he left home at 18. They find him at the Montecito Casino
, playing poker to repay his debt. He is resistant when Sarah asks for help, but agrees when she offers to pay his debt. The two set out to find out what happened to Graiman, and discover who is after them.
Rivai arrives at Graiman's home, and is asked by the local sheriff (Chris Mulkey
) to identify the body. She discovers it is not Charles Graiman; the real Graiman (Davison) escaped through the woods and left a double behind. Graiman makes his way to the home of Traceur's mother, Jennifer (Susan Gibney
). The two leave for a motel.
The men chasing them are mercenaries
for BlackRiver, a security contractor. They are after Prometheus, a system that controls the entire United States defense network. Information needed to control the system is contained on Graiman's hard drives in the mercenaries' possession, but is encrypted; only Graiman and Sarah know the encryption keys. KITT also possesses the data and can access the system.
Graiman contacts Sarah and asks her to meet him at the motel. He advises Sarah to contact Rivai for help. When she does so, Rivai puts her phone in speaker-mode so the sheriff
can hear the location, unaware that the sheriff is working with the mercenaries.
KITT, Sarah and Traceur find the men have reached the motel
, but have not found Graiman, as he checked into four different rooms. Using KITT's infrared sensors, Traceur finds Graiman and his mother and rescues them. Jennifer and Graiman reveal that Traceur's father was a man named Michael Knight and that he drove the first KITT, forcing him to stay away from his family. Traceur is absorbing this information when they reach KITT and find one of the mercenaries hacking into his system. Graiman asks KITT to shut-down to prevent further infiltration, and suggests Traceur drive the car manually.
As the group is leaving, the mercenaries find them, shooting and kill Jennifer. Graiman is taken away and the other two are left to kill Traceur and Rivai and watch over Sarah and KITT. Traceur and Rivai overpower them, and Traceur and Sarah take KITT to chase after Graiman, while Rivai stays with Jennifer's body.
Traceur and Sarah discover KITT's vulnerability to damage, due to the loss of his self-repair capabilities while his system is deactivated. After exchanging fire, Traceur reactivates KITT with just enough time to activate his armor without allowing the mercenaries to hack into him, and turns KITT directly into the mercenaries' path, causing a collision. KITT survives with no damage, while the mercenaries' SUV is heavily damaged. Graiman survives while his captors are mortally wounded or dead.
On the way to Jennifer's funeral
, Graiman reveals that he's re-forming the Foundation, and offers Traceur the chance to drive KITT, which he refuses due to philosophical differences, saying "I just don't believe in the same things you do."
At the funeral, Traceur meets Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff
), who tells him what Wilton Knight once told him on his death-bed—that one man can make a difference, and that he (Knight) was that man. They shake hands and as Knight prepares to leave, Traceur asks if they will ever meet again, to which Knight responds, "I hope so."
Traceur is behind KITT's wheel in an enclosed area. Rivai, Graiman, Sarah and Fass bid him farewell and inform him of his mission. Sarah kisses him goodbye, and a door opens behind him that shows a moving road. KITT drives out in reverse. The door is the cargo hatch of a C-130 Hercules
cargo plane, which then takes off. Mike switches to manual at KITT's indignation, turns KITT around, and drives away.
stars as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight
. Other actors who appeared in the movie include Deanna Russo
as Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest, Sarah Graiman, Bruce Davison
as Sarah's father, physicist Charles Graiman, and Wayne Kasserman
as Dylan, Traceur's roommate and friend. David Hasselhoff
returns as Michael Knight in a cameo. KITT is portrayed as a black 550 hp Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang.
Supervising producer David Andron wrote the pilot script under executive producers Doug Liman
and Dave Bartis
. The success of the 2007 film Transformers inspired NBC Entertainment President Ben Silverman
to revive Knight Rider.
NBC
announced on December 13, 2007 that the new two hour pilot would air on February 17, 2008. Two new cast members were also announced; Will Arnett
as the voice for the new KITT Mustang, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier
as FBI agent Carrie Rivai. Less than two weeks before the television film aired, Arnett stepped down as the voice of KITT after General Motors
informed him of a conflict of interest
, since Arnett does voiceover work for GMC Trucks. As a result, Val Kilmer
landed the role of voicing KITT.
Several scenes use the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino, from NBC's series Las Vegas
.
The Knight Industries Three Thousand (K.I.T.T.) superseded the Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.). Voiced by Val Kilmer
, KITT is a modified 2008 Ford Mustang
Shelby GT500KR and has similar features to the original KITT.
The new KITT boasts the following features among others: solar hybrid engine
It is important to note that if KITT's Artificial Intelligence is offline, the self-regeneration mechanism is inactive, making it as vulnerable as an ordinary car. Part of the shutting down procedures of KITT's AI includes the release of the clutch pedal as well as a stick shift to allow manual control.
Other details from the pilot film:
Instead of the famous communicator watch, KITT communicates with its operators via a Bluetooth
-style wireless headset, and can access wireless phone networks. Since KITT can tie into numerous computer systems, it is able to emulate many of the functions of the watch, such as unlocking doors.
, the original KITT is shown (still in pieces) in the scene where the antagonists search the garage. The Trans-am body (sans-hood) is partially covered by a tarp, on which rest the rear spoiler. The famous KITT steering wheel (labeled "Knight Two Thousand") and "KNIGHT" license plate are also shown, along with numerous black car body parts. Also, when the camera shows a full scene of the garage, there are three cars in the garage: The 3000, The 2000 under the tarp and a 2000 without any of the parts missing.
The original series stated that the original KITT was designed by Wilton Knight. The 2008 film says that Graiman had a major hand in designing the car and the AI, and was subsequently relocated to protect him and his family.
reporting 10.0 million viewers watching NBC with 4.0/10 households tuning in, Knight Rider was generally received poorly by media outlets. IGN
gave the movie a rating of 5 out of 10 saying, "No one expects Knight Rider to be particularly thought-provoking or deep, but something a bit more enjoyable would certainly be appreciated next time." Variety
stated, "Unfortunately, even at 200 miles (321.9 km) an hour the times appear to have passed the concept by, and making “Knight Rider” road-worthy for further adventures will require more than just a tune-up." The Los Angeles Times
stated, "The two-hour (!) movie/pilot/extended Ford commercial crept by Sunday night like a glacier with turbo-revving sound effects. (No advance screeners were available, never a good sign.)" Even with poor reviews, NBC
captured first place within the 18-49 demographic. The movie averaged a viewership of 12.8 million viewers.
ran from September 24, 2008 to March 4, 2009 for just 17 episodes before being cancelled.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
which was created to serve as a backdoor pilot for the new Knight Rider
Knight Rider (2008 TV series)
Knight Rider was a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest....
television series, a revival of the series of the same name which aired during the 1980s. This film does not refer to either the Knight Rider 2000
Knight Rider 2000
Knight Rider 2000 is a 1991 sequel movie to the television series Knight Rider. It is included in the Region 1, Region 2 and Region 4 versions of the Knight Rider Season One box set/...
film or the Team Knight Rider
Team Knight Rider
Team Knight Rider is a syndicated television spin-off series of the Knight Rider franchise that ran between 1997 and 1998. TKR was created by writer/producers Rick Copp and David A. Goodman, based on the original series created by Glen A. Larson, who was an executive producer...
television series.
Plot
At night, several power company technicians answer a call at Charles Graiman's home. He is suspicious, as he did not expect them until the next morning. They threaten his daughter if he does not cooperate, and Graiman suffers a fatal heart attack. Searching his home for hard drives containing the information they are after (for a defense project named Prometheus), they stumble across a parked Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang that they unsuccessfully try to stop.Mike Traceur (Bruening), a 23-year-old ex-Army Ranger
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
, is awakened by his friend Dylan Fass to deal with two men who are attempting to collect a $90,000 gambling debt. Traceur's car breaks down when he attempts to flee, and the men threaten Fass's life if Traceur does not pay the debt.
FBI agent Carrie Rivai (Poitier) receives a call that Graiman, her longtime friend, is dead and leaves her date, a woman she met the night before, to investigate.
Sarah Graiman (Russo), a 24-year old Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, lectures a class on nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
. After the lecture she receives a phone call from KITT warning her about the men planning to abduct her. Her pursuers catch her, but KITT rescues her. Sarah and KITT track down Traceur, who turns out to be her childhood friend, and whom she was involved with has not seen since he left home at 18. They find him at the Montecito Casino
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
, playing poker to repay his debt. He is resistant when Sarah asks for help, but agrees when she offers to pay his debt. The two set out to find out what happened to Graiman, and discover who is after them.
Rivai arrives at Graiman's home, and is asked by the local sheriff (Chris Mulkey
Chris Mulkey
Chris Mulkey is an American actor who most recently appeared in Against the Wall, Cloverfield, the NBC TV movie Knight Rider, and as a corporate executive in season 7 of 24...
) to identify the body. She discovers it is not Charles Graiman; the real Graiman (Davison) escaped through the woods and left a double behind. Graiman makes his way to the home of Traceur's mother, Jennifer (Susan Gibney
Susan Gibney
Susan Gibney is an American actress. She has 5 older, and two younger, siblings. She moved to Webster, New York at a young age, returned to California to live several times, and again has lived in Webster since 2004. Susan graduated from Buffalo State College in New York with a major in theater...
). The two leave for a motel.
The men chasing them are mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
for BlackRiver, a security contractor. They are after Prometheus, a system that controls the entire United States defense network. Information needed to control the system is contained on Graiman's hard drives in the mercenaries' possession, but is encrypted; only Graiman and Sarah know the encryption keys. KITT also possesses the data and can access the system.
Graiman contacts Sarah and asks her to meet him at the motel. He advises Sarah to contact Rivai for help. When she does so, Rivai puts her phone in speaker-mode so the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
can hear the location, unaware that the sheriff is working with the mercenaries.
KITT, Sarah and Traceur find the men have reached the motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
, but have not found Graiman, as he checked into four different rooms. Using KITT's infrared sensors, Traceur finds Graiman and his mother and rescues them. Jennifer and Graiman reveal that Traceur's father was a man named Michael Knight and that he drove the first KITT, forcing him to stay away from his family. Traceur is absorbing this information when they reach KITT and find one of the mercenaries hacking into his system. Graiman asks KITT to shut-down to prevent further infiltration, and suggests Traceur drive the car manually.
As the group is leaving, the mercenaries find them, shooting and kill Jennifer. Graiman is taken away and the other two are left to kill Traceur and Rivai and watch over Sarah and KITT. Traceur and Rivai overpower them, and Traceur and Sarah take KITT to chase after Graiman, while Rivai stays with Jennifer's body.
Traceur and Sarah discover KITT's vulnerability to damage, due to the loss of his self-repair capabilities while his system is deactivated. After exchanging fire, Traceur reactivates KITT with just enough time to activate his armor without allowing the mercenaries to hack into him, and turns KITT directly into the mercenaries' path, causing a collision. KITT survives with no damage, while the mercenaries' SUV is heavily damaged. Graiman survives while his captors are mortally wounded or dead.
On the way to Jennifer's funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
, Graiman reveals that he's re-forming the Foundation, and offers Traceur the chance to drive KITT, which he refuses due to philosophical differences, saying "I just don't believe in the same things you do."
At the funeral, Traceur meets Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
), who tells him what Wilton Knight once told him on his death-bed—that one man can make a difference, and that he (Knight) was that man. They shake hands and as Knight prepares to leave, Traceur asks if they will ever meet again, to which Knight responds, "I hope so."
Traceur is behind KITT's wheel in an enclosed area. Rivai, Graiman, Sarah and Fass bid him farewell and inform him of his mission. Sarah kisses him goodbye, and a door opens behind him that shows a moving road. KITT drives out in reverse. The door is the cargo hatch of a C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
cargo plane, which then takes off. Mike switches to manual at KITT's indignation, turns KITT around, and drives away.
Production
On September 26, 2007, NBC announced that it would create a two-hour backdoor pilot to air during the 2007–2008 season. Justin BrueningJustin Bruening
Justin Bruening is an American actor and former fashion model. In 2003, his acting career began when he was cast in the role of Jamie Martin on the daytime drama All My Children, earning him a Soap Opera Digest Award in 2005 for the portrayal...
stars as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight
Michael Knight (Knight Rider)
Michael Knight is a fictional character and protagonist in the 1980s Knight Rider television series played by David Hasselhoff. The character first appeared in the opening scenes as Michael Long, played by Larry Anderson in the beginning of the pilot.- Michael Long :Born Michael Arthur Long on...
. Other actors who appeared in the movie include Deanna Russo
Deanna Russo
Deanna Russo is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Logan Armstrong on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. She most recently starred in NBC's Knight Rider TV movie as Sarah Graiman, the daughter of KITT's creator, Dr. Charles Graiman, and the childhood love of KITT's...
as Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest, Sarah Graiman, Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
as Sarah's father, physicist Charles Graiman, and Wayne Kasserman
Wayne Kasserman
Wayne Kasserman is a New York city based stage and screen actor, most notable for his role in the 2008 remake of Knight Rider as mechanic Dylan Fass...
as Dylan, Traceur's roommate and friend. David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
returns as Michael Knight in a cameo. KITT is portrayed as a black 550 hp Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang.
Supervising producer David Andron wrote the pilot script under executive producers Doug Liman
Doug Liman
Douglas Eric "Doug" Liman is an American film director and producer best known for Swingers , The Bourne Identity , Mr. & Mrs. Smith , Jumper , and Fair Game .-Early life:...
and Dave Bartis
Dave Bartis
David "Dave" Bartis is an American producer.-Early life:He is a graduate of McLean High School, located in Mclean, Virginia. Bartis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Brown University...
. The success of the 2007 film Transformers inspired NBC Entertainment President Ben Silverman
Ben Silverman
Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
to revive Knight Rider.
NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
announced on December 13, 2007 that the new two hour pilot would air on February 17, 2008. Two new cast members were also announced; Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
as the voice for the new KITT Mustang, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Sydney Tamiia Poitier is an American actress known for her work on television.- Biography :Sydney is the daughter of famous Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier....
as FBI agent Carrie Rivai. Less than two weeks before the television film aired, Arnett stepped down as the voice of KITT after General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
informed him of a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
, since Arnett does voiceover work for GMC Trucks. As a result, Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
landed the role of voicing KITT.
Several scenes use the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino, from NBC's series Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
.
Cast
- Justin BrueningJustin BrueningJustin Bruening is an American actor and former fashion model. In 2003, his acting career began when he was cast in the role of Jamie Martin on the daytime drama All My Children, earning him a Soap Opera Digest Award in 2005 for the portrayal...
as Mike Traceur - Deanna RussoDeanna RussoDeanna Russo is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Dr. Logan Armstrong on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. She most recently starred in NBC's Knight Rider TV movie as Sarah Graiman, the daughter of KITT's creator, Dr. Charles Graiman, and the childhood love of KITT's...
as Sarah Graiman - Bruce DavisonBruce DavisonBruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
as Charles Graiman - Sydney Tamiia PoitierSydney Tamiia PoitierSydney Tamiia Poitier is an American actress known for her work on television.- Biography :Sydney is the daughter of famous Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier....
as FBI Agent Carrie Rivai - Val KilmerVal KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
as the Voice of KITT - David HasselhoffDavid HasselhoffDavid Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
as Michael KnightMichael Knight (Knight Rider)Michael Knight is a fictional character and protagonist in the 1980s Knight Rider television series played by David Hasselhoff. The character first appeared in the opening scenes as Michael Long, played by Larry Anderson in the beginning of the pilot.- Michael Long :Born Michael Arthur Long on... - Susan GibneySusan GibneySusan Gibney is an American actress. She has 5 older, and two younger, siblings. She moved to Webster, New York at a young age, returned to California to live several times, and again has lived in Webster since 2004. Susan graduated from Buffalo State College in New York with a major in theater...
as Jennifer Traceur - Wayne KassermanWayne KassermanWayne Kasserman is a New York city based stage and screen actor, most notable for his role in the 2008 remake of Knight Rider as mechanic Dylan Fass...
as Dylan Fass - Jack J. YangJack J. Yang-Filmography:*The Yellow Truth as Jack *Shadow Chaser *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Ricky Yao *Skin Trade as The Designer *The Seat Filler as Page *CSI: Miami as Shawn Kimsey...
as Cross - Kevin Dunigan as Smoke
- Greg EllisGreg Ellis (actor)Greg Ellis is an English actor known for his TV, movie, and video game voice over work. He has appeared in films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean series, the 2009 Star Trek film , Titanic, Beowulf, To End All Wars, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith...
as Welther
Featured music
- Intro Sequence — Knight Rider (Original Theme Remix)
- Chase Scene -
- Grief Scene - "Happy" by The WrensThe WrensThe Wrens are an indie rock band that formed in the late 1980s in New Jersey. The group consists of Charles Bissell, Greg Whelan, Kevin Whelan, and Jerry MacDonald. Their debut album Silver was released in 1994...
- Las Vegas Scene -
- Funeral Scene - "Right Here" by Natalie WalkerNatalie WalkerNatalie Walker is an American vocalist, songwriter and musician from Indianawho first came to prominence as part of the group Daughter Darling. While her time in the low-key electronica trip hop outfit was promising, Walker decided on a solo career, and released her first album Urban Angel in 2006,...
- TV Promotion - "Yeah Yeah" by FeederFeeder-Technology:* Feeder , any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources* Feeder , another name for a riser, a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities due to shrinkage...
Knight Industries Three Thousand (K.I.T.T.)
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
, KITT is a modified 2008 Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
Shelby GT500KR and has similar features to the original KITT.
The new KITT boasts the following features among others: solar hybrid engine
- Sports-tuned suspension
- Xenon headlamps with infrared night-vision
- Metallic paint with nanotech enhanced camouflage that morphs the license plates and disguises the car as a normal Mustang in different colors.
- Turbo Boost
- Military satellite access
- FBI database access
- Self-regeneration and damage repair
- High-speed Internet
- Artificial Intelligence
- Voice-activated GPS
- Apple Wireless KeyboardApple Wireless KeyboardThe Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers and the iPad. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations have low-power features when not in use.-History:On September 16, 2003,...
in the glove box under an accessory drawer - Biometric Interface to access security features.
- Wireless headset to communicate with passengers within a limited distance.
- Biomedical Scanner.
- New attack mode
- Laser
- Electro magnetic pulse to knock out nearby electronic equipment
It is important to note that if KITT's Artificial Intelligence is offline, the self-regeneration mechanism is inactive, making it as vulnerable as an ordinary car. Part of the shutting down procedures of KITT's AI includes the release of the clutch pedal as well as a stick shift to allow manual control.
Other details from the pilot film:
- Driving cross-country, KITT can average a speed of 191 mph (307 km/h) and travel 627 mi (1,009 km) in 3 h 17 min.
- Although largely solar powered, KITT does use gasoline; with 91% of the energy being recycled, it averages 167 miles per US gallon.
Instead of the famous communicator watch, KITT communicates with its operators via a Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
-style wireless headset, and can access wireless phone networks. Since KITT can tie into numerous computer systems, it is able to emulate many of the functions of the watch, such as unlocking doors.
Connections to original Knight Rider
Besides the remixed and original theme song and cameo by Michael KnightMichael Knight (Knight Rider)
Michael Knight is a fictional character and protagonist in the 1980s Knight Rider television series played by David Hasselhoff. The character first appeared in the opening scenes as Michael Long, played by Larry Anderson in the beginning of the pilot.- Michael Long :Born Michael Arthur Long on...
, the original KITT is shown (still in pieces) in the scene where the antagonists search the garage. The Trans-am body (sans-hood) is partially covered by a tarp, on which rest the rear spoiler. The famous KITT steering wheel (labeled "Knight Two Thousand") and "KNIGHT" license plate are also shown, along with numerous black car body parts. Also, when the camera shows a full scene of the garage, there are three cars in the garage: The 3000, The 2000 under the tarp and a 2000 without any of the parts missing.
The original series stated that the original KITT was designed by Wilton Knight. The 2008 film says that Graiman had a major hand in designing the car and the AI, and was subsequently relocated to protect him and his family.
Reception
Although ratings for the movie were high, with Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
reporting 10.0 million viewers watching NBC with 4.0/10 households tuning in, Knight Rider was generally received poorly by media outlets. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the movie a rating of 5 out of 10 saying, "No one expects Knight Rider to be particularly thought-provoking or deep, but something a bit more enjoyable would certainly be appreciated next time." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
stated, "Unfortunately, even at 200 miles (321.9 km) an hour the times appear to have passed the concept by, and making “Knight Rider” road-worthy for further adventures will require more than just a tune-up." The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
stated, "The two-hour (!) movie/pilot/extended Ford commercial crept by Sunday night like a glacier with turbo-revving sound effects. (No advance screeners were available, never a good sign.)" Even with poor reviews, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
captured first place within the 18-49 demographic. The movie averaged a viewership of 12.8 million viewers.
Future of the sequel series
NBC commissioned a weekly series to debut during the 2008–2009 television season. Gary Scott Thompson was brought on to show-run and was committed to a two- year contract. Filming on the season began June 23, and the new seriesKnight Rider (2008 TV series)
Knight Rider was a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest....
ran from September 24, 2008 to March 4, 2009 for just 17 episodes before being cancelled.