What’s old is new again in Hollywood. Why come up with a brand-new idea when you can just take a previously established IP from decades ago, splash a new coat of paint on it, and release it for audiences that probably forgot it existed? That’s a much easier path to success, right? Well, that’s apparently what’s happening, as we see studios snatch up any and every IP available, including Spyglass and the upcoming film, “Knight Rider.”
That’s right, everyone’s favorite talking car from the ‘80s (excluding the “Transformers” franchise) is hitting the big screen courtesy of Spyglass and producer James Wan. According to Deadline, the studio is teaming up with the superstar filmmaker for a new take on the ‘80s action series, “Knight Rider.” The details are not plentiful, but it’s expected that the new adaptation will take the TV series and update it for a modern audience. And let’s be real, there’s quite a bit of updating that is required.
“Knight Rider” tells the story of Michael Knight, a crimefighter that teams up with his AI-powered supercar, named KITT, to fight bad guys and look badass while doing it. Obviously, in a world with self-driving cars and advanced AI on your smartphone, the idea of a talking car is hardly revolutionary in 2020. So, it’ll be interesting to see what James Wan has up his sleeve as producer on a new version of “Knight Rider.”
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The new film is set to be written by TJ Fixman, a writer with an extensive background in video games and a growing number of sold (but unproduced) scripts in the film industry. On the video game side of things, Fixman is a writer that worked on “Ratchet and Clank,” as well as “Resistance: Fall of Man.” In terms of films, he’s sold a number of scripts to studios such as Fox, MGM, Universal, and STX.
It’s unclear when we might see the “Knight Rider” film come to theaters. Hopefully, it isn’t too long because, with the rate that technology and AI are advancing, this could be an even more dated film before it arrives in theaters.