The Netflix hit Cobra Kai was the perfect balance of 1980s nostalgia and modern sensibilities. Now, the team behind that show has been tapped to do the same for another popular brand from the decade: Knight Rider.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald are in early talks to make a movie based on the hit show, which starred David Hasselhoff as a detective who gets paired with an artificially intelligent car called KITT (which stood for Knight Industries Two Thousand). It ran from 1982 to 1986 and was rebooted as multiple shows and movies in the years since, all of which were much less successful.
According to the trade, Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald are in early talks to write while Hurwitz and Schlossberg are in early talks to direct. Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, the team behind John Wick’s home 87North, are also on board as producers. Apparently, a film version of the franchise has been in development for a while, but this is a fresh take. No word on what that is yet, but io9 has reached out to the Cobra Kai creator’s team for comment. Hurwitz did take to X however, to confirm the news and say, “The secret is out!”
As evidenced by its numerous remakes, and in particular the big one in 2008, Knight Rider definitely has name recognition, but it will also need some special sauce if it’s to become successful once again. If anyone can do that, though, it’s Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald, who have become the go-to team for modern takes on nostalgic properties. They’re also working on a Ferris Bueller spinoff and continuing to explore the world of the Karate Kid, though there has yet to be any movement on that since Cobra Kai ended.
And, again, these are early days. There’s no guarantee this comes to be, but it seems likely that Universal, which would distribute the movie, is going to get a script and decide from there. And you have to assume there’s a way to get Hasselhoff involved somehow, right? Oh, and if it doesn’t have the theme song, we riot. This is truly an all-timer.
What are your thoughts on a Knight Rider film from the guys behind Cobra Kai? Let us know below.
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