One of the most popular TV series of the 1980s is set to return to our screens. Knight Rider, the show that predicted the autonomous car four decades before it became a reality and gave it a personality to boot, originally ran from 1982 to 1986.
Reboots and sequels have been mooted before but either flopped or didn’t even get off the ground. But the latest rumours are more than idle navel-gazing by the entertainment media. They come from no less a source than Michael Knight.
Reboot in the making
Knight Rider was the vehicle – quite literally – that transformed David Hasselhoff from jobbing actor to the most watched man on TV in the 1990s. Now, the man himself has confirmed “there is a reboot in the making” although further details are thin on the ground.
Hasselhoff was speaking to American singer and presenter Kelly Clarkson after turning up for an interview on her TV chat show in a replica of K.I.T.T. He remarked that we are seeing automotive technology today that was foreshadowed by Knight Rider 40 years ago, and said that today, “The cars talk. The cars drive themselves. They park.”
Hasselhoff’s confirmation gives credence to the story leaked by Street Machine’s Simon Telford in 2020. He said at the time that a Knight Rider movie had been given a green light and that Australian director James Wan would be in the director’s chair. Following his success in Aquaman and Furious 7, he seems just the man for the job. Previous attempts to revive the series have ended in failure, but this could be the perfect time for a successful reboot. There seems to be an unquenchable thirst for 80s nostalgia right now – and indeed for Michael Knight.
New Knight Rider game
The rumours of a reboot follow close on the heels of Netent launching a new slot game based on the original Knight Rider series earlier this year. It’s proving a popular choice with nostalgic gamblers looking to use their no deposit casino bonus.
In a world where players tend to stick to the same old games and eye new ones with suspicion, it has been one of NetEnt’s most popular new releases in years, no doubt feeding on that craze for 80s nostalgia. It boasts high volatility and a jackpot of 7,000x the stake.
No room for the Hoff
David Hasselhoff turns 70 next month. So while the Knight Rider game features iconic images of The Hoff and K.I.T.T. in their prime, the movie reboot will unleash a new pairing of man and machine. The identities of both are still under wraps, and the choice for K.I.T.T. in particular is causing plenty of debate. Fans have suggested everything from Ford Mustang to Tesla, while some advocate sticking with the classic lines of a 1980s Pontiac Trans Am.
Meanwhile, Danny McBride is said to be top choice to play Michael Knight after James Wan saw him in Eastbound and Down sporting similar hair to David Hasselhoff.
