KITT is going on a new ride courtesy of the creators of Cobra Kai.
Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald, the creators behind the worldwide Netflix sensation, are in talks to bring Knight Rider, the 1980s action drama centered on a computerized talking car, to the big screen.
Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg are in early talks to write the screenplay, with Hurwitz and Schlossberg in early talks to direct.
The trio will also produce, via their Counterbalance Entertainment production company, joining Kelly McCormick and David Leitch (The Fall Guy), who are producing through their banner 87North and its first-look deal with Universal. Gary Barber and Chris Stone will produce through Spyglass.
Airing on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and created by prolific TV producer Glen A. Larson, Knight Rider was a key series of the era, featuring a ridiculous high-concept, a hunky lead, and a memorable synth theme.
David Hasselhoff starred as Michael Knight, a detective who becomes an agent for FLAG, the Foundation for Law and Government, and is partnered with KITT, a modified, artificially intelligent and indestructible Trans Am. Together, the two sped head-on to fight criminals who operate above the law.
A feature take has been in development for a while and the project had a previous script by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider. The new take is being kept in the back of a semi-trailer, but expect the unexpected when it comes to the Cobra Kai creators.
Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, and Josh Heald
Courtesy
Hurwitz and Schlossberg earned their first screen and directing credits with the trippy Harold & Kumar movies and later wrote and directed American Pie sequel American Reunion for Universal.
They teamed up with Heald to create, showrun and executive produce Cobra Kai, a series that served as a sequel to the classic Karate Kid movies. Taking a new perspective on old story and property by blending old characters with new talent, and melding comedy with drama and heart with action, the trio found a way to appeal to multiple generations. The show became not only one of Netflix’s biggest successes but also proved to be a hit with critics and peers, with the third season earning an Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy series.
After the show wrapped its sixth and final season earlier this year on Netflix, Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald began looking for their next adventures. One of those is a new installment of Harold & Kumar for Lionsgate/Mandate Pictures.
The team has shown a propensity for rethinking classic stories and IP in fresh ways, and on top of Knight Rider and Karate Kid/Cobra Kai, the trio has also tackled a spinoff of 1980s classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for Paramount. That project would have told the story of the two valets and the joyride they took with the classic Ferrari.
Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald are repped by CAA. Hurwitz and Schlossberg are additionally repped by Hansen Jacobson, while Heald is repped by Behr Abramson.
Universal’s executive vp of production development Matt Reilly and director of development Tony Ducret will oversee the project for the studio.