Knight Rider Re-Launch finds their star
November 2, 2007

When NBC announced they had plans to re-visit Knight Rider, the lynchpin to the entire series was the question of who would replace David Hasselhoff in the driver's seat behind the wheel of KITT. After an extensive search that saw several talented actors head to NBC for auditions, soap opera star Justin Bruening managed to land the role of Michael Knight's son in the new series. That's right - Bruening won't be taking over the role made popular by Hasselhoff, but will play his offspring. But don't worry, the young Knight will still be paired up with Knight Industries Two Thousand - or, KITT, the crime-fighting, talking Trans-Am.

Justin Bruening, fresh from the set of All My Children, is set to star in the re-launch of the Knight Rider series. Much the same way Battlestar Galactica started out with a mini-series that turned into a backdoor pilot, Knight Rider will start production on a two-hour TV movie designed to renew interest in the show. If it's as successful as the network hopes it will be, that film will serve as the pilot episode for a brand-new Knight Rider show. If not, NBC can always cut bait on Kinight Rider before they sink too much money into the project.

The decision to cast Justin Bruening in the role of the young Knight has more than one parallel to the original casting of David Hasselhoff. Much like Bruening, David Hasselhoff had been working on soap operas when he was hand-picked to star in the Knight Rider series. As well, David Hasselhoff was in his late twenties when he first sat inside that kick-ass black Trans Am, and Justin Bruening currently clocks in at age 28. Bruening is also following in the footsteps of All My Children co-star Josh Duhamel, who made the leap to Las Vegas, and also landed a role in the summer blockbuster film, Transformers.

The re-boot of the Knight Rider franchise will bring an '80s series into the new millennium. First and foremost, NBC is currently in negotiations concerning what make and model KITT will be this time around. They have also announced that further negotiations will take place as to which auto manufacturer will gain the rights to KITT. Whatever auto is selected, expect it to be tricked out with a series of after-market modifications. As well, the show will fall under the guise of one of this decade's best producers, Doug Liman. The Bourne Identity director may also step behind the camera to direct the pilot episode, if he can work it into his schedule.

With all of these new changes, it'll still be up to fans to decide whether KITT will ride again, or if Knight Industries should remain closed.