Knight Rider is a
television movieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
which was created to serve as a backdoor pilot for the new
Knight RiderKnight Rider is 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 2000Knight 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 RiderTeam 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
The film opens at night with several technicians from the power company answering a call at the home of Charles Graiman. He is suspicious, as he did not expect them until the next morning, but allows them inside. They soon reveal their hostile intent and threaten his daughter if he does not cooperate, and as the situation intensifies, Graiman collapses and dies from an apparent heart attack. While searching his home for hard drives containing the information they are after (for a defense project named Prometheus), they stumble across a
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, which they try to stop, by shooting it, but are unable to before it drives away.
The next morning, Mike Traceur (Bruening), a 23-year-old ex-
Army RangerThe United States Army Rangers are an elite American Special Operations Force capable of conducting direct action operations.United States Army Rangers draw very strongly on the heritage, traditions and ethos of Rogers' Rangers but have no lineage back to that unit. The current U.S. Army Rangers,...
, 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 long time friend, is dead and leaves her date, a woman she had just met the night before, to go investigate.
Sarah Graiman (Russo), a 24-year old Ph.D. candidate at
Stanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university located in Stanford, California, United States...
, is lecturing a class on
nanotechnologyNanotechnology, shortened to "nanotech", is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.Nanotechnology is very diverse,...
. Following the lecture, she receives a phone call from KITT warning her about the men attempting to abduct her, and instructing her to safety. Her pursuers catch her, but KITT arrives and rescues her. Sarah and KITT escape, and leave to track down Traceur, who turns out to be her childhood friend, and whom she was previously involved with but has not seen since he left home at 18. They find him at the
Montecito CasinoLas Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
, playing poker to attempt to repay his debt. He is initially resistant when Sarah asks for his help, but agrees when she offers to pay his debt, and the two set out to find out what happened to Graiman, and discover who's after them.
Rivai arrives at Graiman's home, and is asked by the local sheriff (
Chris MulkeyChris Mulkey is an American actor who most recently appeared in Cloverfield, the NBC TV movie Knight Rider, and as a corporate executive in season 7 of 24...
) to identify the body. She discovers it's not Charles Graiman, the real Graiman (Davison) having escaped through the woods and left a double in his place. Graiman makes his way to a house belonging to Traceur's mother, Jennifer (
Susan 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...
). The two set off to a motel.
The men chasing them are revealed to be
mercenariesA mercenary is a professional soldier hired by a foreign army, as opposed to a soldier enlisted in the armed forces of a sovereign state. He or she takes part in armed conflict on many different scales, and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain...
for BlackRiver, (a security contractor inspired by
Blackwater WorldwideXe Services LLC is a private military company founded as Blackwater USA in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. In October 2007, the company was renamed Blackwater Worldwide and was colloquially referred to as "Blackwater"...
). They are after a system that Graiman designed called Prometheus, which controls the entire U.S. defense network. The information needed to take control of the system is contained on Graiman's hard drives in the mercenaries' possession, but is encrypted, and only Graiman and Sarah know the encryption keys. KITT also possesses the data and the ability to 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 that the
sheriffA 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 arrive to find that the men have already reached the
motelA motel is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having direct access to an open parking area.Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, a portmanteau of motor and hotel or motorists' hotel, referred initially to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms...
, but have yet to find Graiman, as he has checked into four different rooms. With the help of KITT's infrared sensors, Traceur finds Graiman and his mother and brings them to safety, avoiding the mercenaries. Jennifer and Graiman reveal to him that his father was a man named Michael Knight and that he drove the first KITT, forcing him to stay away from his family. Traceur is still absorbing the weight of this information, when they reach KITT, and find that one of the mercenaries is 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 preparing to leave, the mercenaries, now joined by the sheriff, find them, and shoot and kill Jennifer in the confrontation. Two of them and the sheriff take Graiman 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 behind with Jennifer's body.
During the chase, Traceur and Sarah discover KITT's vulnerability to damage, due to the loss of his self-repair capabilities, when his system is deactivated. After exchanging fire, Traceur reactivates KITT with just enough time to activate his armor without allowing the mercenaries to completely hack into his system, and turns KITT directly into the mercenaries' path, causing a massive collision; KITT survives with no damage, while the mercenaries' SUV is heavily damaged by the impact. Graiman survives with minor injuries, while all his captors are mortally wounded or have been killed.
On the way to Jennifer's
funeralA funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour. These customs vary widely between cultures, and...
, Graiman reveals that he's re-forming the Foundation, and offers Traceur the chance to drive KITT permanently, which he refuses on grounds of philosophical differences, saying "I just don't believe in the same things you do."
At the funeral, Traceur meets his father, Michael Knight (
David HasselhoffDavid Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s U.S. 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 stops him and asks if they will ever meet again, to which Knight responds "I hope so."
The final scene begins inside an enclosed area with Mike behind KITT's wheel. Here, Rivai, Graiman, Sarah, and Fass bid him farewell and inform him of his new mission. Sarah kisses him goodbye, and a door opens behind him that shows a moving road. KITT drives out of the door/bay in reverse. The door is revealed to be the cargo hatch of a
C-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. Capable of takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft...
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 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 KnightMichael Knight may refer to:*Michael E. Knight, American actor known for work in daytime soap operas*Michael Knight *Michael Knight , the fictional main character of Knight Rider, a popular U.S...
. Other actors who appeared in the movie include
Deanna 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...
as Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest, Sarah Graiman,
Bruce DavisonBruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduated in 1964 at Marple Newtown Senior High School, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents...
as Sarah's father, physicist Charles Graiman, and
Wayne 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. He is also the executive director of the New York Collective For The Arts.-Education:...
as Dylan, Traceur's roommate and friend.
David HasselhoffDavid Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s U.S. 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 Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang.
Supervising producer David Andron wrote the pilot script under executive producers
Doug LimanDoug Liman is an American film director and producer best known for The Bourne Identity , Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jumper .-Early life:Liman is the son of Arthur L...
and
Dave BartisDavid "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 SilvermanBenjamin Noah Silverman was the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. He is also an Emmy-winning executive producer of such shows as The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and The Biggest Loser.-Early life and career:Raised in Manhattan, Silverman is a 1992 magna cum laude...
to revive
Knight Rider.
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
announced on December 13, 2007 that the new 2-hour pilot would air on February 17, 2008. Two new cast members were also announced;
Will ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the FOX comedy Arrested Development. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major film roles. He recently played supporting roles in the comedy films Semi-Pro, Blades of...
as the voice for the new KITT Mustang, and
Sydney Tamiia PoitierSydney Tamiia Poitier is an American actress known for her work on television.- Biography :Poitier had a recurring part in season one of Joan of Arcadia, where she played Rebecca Askew, the love interest of Joan's older brother, Kevin...
as FBI agent Carrie Rivai. Less than two weeks before the television film aired, Arnett stepped down as the voice of KITT after
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
informed him of a
conflict of interestA 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.A conflict of interest can only existif a person or testimony...
, since Arnett does voiceover work for GMC Trucks. As a result,
Val 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 role in Top Gun and a lead role...
landed the role of voicing KITT.
Several scenes use the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino, from NBC's series
Las VegasLas Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
.
Cast
- Justin 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....
as Mike Traceur
- 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...
as Sarah Graiman
- Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduated in 1964 at Marple Newtown Senior High School, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents...
as Charles Graiman
- Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Sydney Tamiia Poitier is an American actress known for her work on television.- Biography :Poitier had a recurring part in season one of Joan of Arcadia, where she played Rebecca Askew, the love interest of Joan's older brother, Kevin...
as FBI Agent Carrie Rivai
- 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 role in Top Gun and a lead role...
as the Voice of KITT
- David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s U.S. series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
as Michael KnightMichael 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 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...
as Jennifer Traceur
- 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. He is also the executive director of the New York Collective For The Arts.-Education:...
as Dylan Fass
- Jack J. Yang
-Filmography:*Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising as Commander Kenji *Chuck as Jason Wang *Seven Pounds as Apogee Engineer *Need for Speed: Undercover as Dang Hu *Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Commander Kenji...
as Cross
- Kevin Dunigan as Smoke
- Greg Ellis
Greg Ellis is an English actor. He has worked on films such as "Star Trek" as Chief Engineer Olsen the original engineer of the Enterprise, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, "Beowulf", To End All Wars, and Mr. and Mrs...
as Welther
Featured music
- Intro Sequence — Knight Rider (Original Theme Remix)
- Chase Scene -
- Grief Scene - "Happy" by Wrens
- Las Vegas Scene -
- Funeral Scene - "Right Here" by Natalie Walker
Natalie Walker is an American musician from Indiana. Walker was formerly vocalist of the trip hop group Daughter Darling, but has produced two solo albums, Urban Angel and With You, as well as an EP Live At The Bunker under Dorado Records....
Knight Industries Three Thousand (K.I.T.T.)
The Knight Industries Three Thousand (K.I.T.T.) superseded the Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.). Voiced by
Val 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 role in Top Gun and a lead role...
, KITT is a modified 2008
Ford MustangThe 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. Production began in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York...
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 including morphing License Plate.
- Turbo Boost
- Military satellite access
- FBI database access
- Self-regeneration and damage repair
- High-speed Internet
- Artificial Intelligence
- Voice-activated GPS
- Apple Wireless Keyboard
The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers. 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....
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 and travel in 3 h 17 min.
- Although largely solar powered, KITT does use gasoline; with 91% of the energy being recycled, it averages .
Instead of the famous communicator watch, KITT communicates with its operators via a 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 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 (although 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 are 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.
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
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." VarietyVariety is a 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 Daily...
stated,
"unfortunately, even at 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 TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
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,
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
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 showrun and was committed to a two- year contract. Filming on the season began June 23, and the
new seriesKnight Rider is 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....
debuted on September 24, 2008.
Charity
Two of the Shelby Mustangs used to portray KITT in the film were auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company's Collector Car Event, held in Palm Springs, Florida. The cars sold as a pair for $300,000 to benefit Ford's "Salute to Education" scholarship program.
External links