Cobra Kai creators to get behind the wheel of a Knight Rider movie for Universal
After applying a new coat of wax to the beloved Karate Kid franchise with Cobra Kai, the show’s creative team, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald, will get behind the wheel of another nostalgic property for Knight Rider! That’s right, ’80s kids, KITT is revving its engine for more high-speed drama!
Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg are in early talks to write the screenplay, and Hurwitz and Schlossberg are in early talks to direct. The trio will produce the high-profile project via their Counterbalance Entertainment studio, joining Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, who will produce through their 87North banner. The Knight Rider movie comes from a first-look deal with Universal, with Gary Barber and Chris Stone producing through Spyglass.
Created by Glen A. Larson, Knight Rider burned rubber on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and is responsible for launching David Hasselhoff’s career in many ways. The show brought audience members on a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist, Michael Knight (the Hoff), a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the powerless, and the helpless in a world of criminals who operate above the law. While righting wrongs for those without the means to fight back, Michael Knight fights crime while piloting a smart car named KITT. In time, the series became so popular that it paved the way for TV spinoffs, films, video games, and a Knight Rider convention called KnightCon.
Before the Cobra Kai team boarded the project for Universal, several filmmakers toyed with the idea of rebooting Knight Rider. Eight years ago, Hasselhoff wanted to make a Logan-esque, R-rated Knight Rider film, but the project stalled. In 2020, Spyglass announced a plan to develop a Knight Rider film with James Wan’s Atomic Monster. TJ Fixman, a former video game writer, would pen the script, giving the concept a contemporary spin. Spyglass’s plan never came to pass.
Finally, in 2021, James Gunn wanted to make a Knight Rider revival. However, Gunn’s next project was Peacemaker, and then he became the co-head of DC Studios. Understandably, there wasn’t much time to pour gas into a Knight Rider movie or series revival.
Still, the team behind Cobra Kai is ready to give a Knight Rider film the old college try, and we’re all about it!
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