BREAKING MOVIE/TV NEWS

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

"KNIGHT RIDER" REVS UP FOR THE BIG SCREEN

May 7, 2006

The "Knight Rider" TV series is being updated by the Weinstein Co. for the big screen. Rights were purchased from Glen A. "Magnum P.I." Larson , prolific creator of the original "Knight Rider" television show.

Larson will write the script/executive produce the project through his production company Glen A. Larson Productions.

Weinstein production executives Brendan Deneen and Eric Robinson, will oversee the project, reporting to Michael Cole.

Premise of the new revenge-feature "KNIGHT RIDER", will focus on a wounded cop, left for dead, but nursed back to health by an aging millionaire. The officer eventually recovers, but with a new face, identity and crime-fighting mission, as the millionaire bequeaths to him, the famous talking car, 'KITT'.

The original NBC "Knight Rider" TV series ran 84 episodes, 1982 to 1986.

Championed by the late producer Brandon Tartikoff, "Knight Rider", the TV series focused on dying millionaire 'Wilton Knight', who rescues a young undercover cop who had been shot. After plastic surgery, the officer is given a new face, new identity ('Michael Long') and a new destiny, to fight for law and justice, using the ''Knight Industries Two Thousand' automobile, aka 'KITT'.

Joining the world of super cars, like Batman's 'Batmobile' and the Green Hornet's 'Black Beauty', 'KITT was a bullet-proof, Pontiac Trans-Am, that could cruise at 300 mph, leap up to 50 feet in the air and was loaded down with high-tech weaponry including flamethrowers, bombs and sophisticated sensing devices.

The car could also talk, with a micro-chip personality and protective urge to look after its driver at any cost, while helping to hunt down criminals who would operate 'above the law'.

The millionaire leaves a fortune to Michael, to help finance his crime-fighting mission, along with trusted associate, 'Devon' to look after any unforseen tech glitches along the way.

Beautiful mechanics 'April' and 'Bonny' rounded out the cast of characters, along with street-wise 'RC3' who joined the team in 1985.