BURBANK – February 8, 2008 – Val Kilmer (“Comanche Moon,” “Batman Forever,” “The Doors”) will assume the role of the voice of KITT — America’s favorite talking car — in NBC’s “Knight Rider” movie of the week which revs up on Sunday, February 17 (9-11 p.m. ET).
Kilmer will play the role of KITT after actor Will Arnett had to withdraw from the role due to a conflicting sponsorship deal.
“We feel really lucky to have Val Kilmer on board for ‘Knight Rider.’ Val’s voice has truly elevated the character of KITT and brought a whole new level of excitement to this project for us. He completely gets the fun that can be had in the relationship between a guy and his car, it’s just a perfect fit for the show,” expressed executive producer David Bartis.
After his breakthrough performance in the hit feature film “Top Gun,” Kilmer starred in several more blockbusters covering a variety of genres, including “Batman Forever,” “The Doors” (as Jim Morrison), “Tombstone” and the animated “The Prince of Egypt.” Among Kilmer’s many other films are “True Romance,” “Heat,” “The Saint,” “Red Planet,” “Wonderland,” “Willow,” “Pollock” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”
“Knight Rider,” the iconic 1980s television classic, is kicked into overdrive with an all-new cast and a modern day KITT. The two-hour movie event stars Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Bruce Davison. In addition, David Hasselhoff — who starred in the popular lead role as Michael Knight for four seasons during the original series’ run — returns in this sequel as the same character during a special guest appearance. As the original story resumes in this sequel, KITT is absolutely the coolest car ever created: its supercomputer capable of hacking almost any system; its weapons systems efficient; and its body — thanks to its creator’s work and nanotechnology — is capable of actually shifting shape and color. Plus, its artificial intelligence makes it the ideal crime-fighting partner: logical, precise and possessing infinite knowledge. It is the ultimate car and someone will be willing to do anything to obtain it.
NBC’s partnership with Ford Motor Company provides for a unique content opportunity that makes the Ford Mustang one of the stars of the movie. The three cars to be employed in the series include the KITT Hero — a Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR that is playing the part of the everyday Hero car with 540 horsepower; the KITT Attack — a super high-speed version of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR Hero car that transforms into Attack mode with the help of air-ride technology and specialized body parts — and a KITT Remote, which is a driverless Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR version of the Hero vehicle.
David Bartis (“Heist,” “The O.C.”) and Doug Liman (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “The Bourne Identity”) serve as executive producers. David Andron is supervising producer and writer. Steve Shill (“Dexter,” “The Tudors”), also a co-executive producer, directs the two-hour movie from Universal Media Studios and Dutch Oven Productions.
