''Knight Rider 2000'' is a 1991 American made-for-television

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

action film based on the 1982–1986 television series ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

''.

Overview

In the year 2000, conventional

handguns A handgun is a short-barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced a ...

have been banned, with law enforcement carrying non-lethal "ultrasound" pistols. Nationwide budget changes have resulted in the adoption of

cryonic suspension Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...

over standard incarceration for convicted criminals. Following the assassination of a mayor in San Antonio, his replacement demands a solution, which is found in the form of the "Knight 4000", a car that will become the next generation of the Knight Industries' supercar KITT.

Plot

Thomas J. Watts is released from prison and assassinates the mayor. Police officer Shawn McCormick confronts the masked Watts holding the next mayor at gunpoint. She shoots Watts, who flees. The city's new mayor demands the gunman be found, while his councilmen reprimand him for disarming the police and setting up the cryo-prison where the inmates "sleep away" their sentences and emerge the same people as before. The Knight Foundation, created from a combination of Knight Industries and the Foundation for Law and Government, offers a possible solution – the " Knight 4000". Devon Miles and his partner, Russel Maddock, are green-lit on the idea, but the city wants to see a working prototype. Devon brings in Michael Knight as the test driver. The Knight 4000 has most of KITT's original features, but adds an amphibious mode that allows the car to drive on water, a heads-up display, and a stun device that can remotely incapacitate a human. Watts shoots Shawn after she discovers that some of her colleagues are working with the assassin to rearm criminals so the city will give the police their guns back. Doctors save Shawn by installing a microchip implant into her brain. She recovers, but cannot remember the details of the attack. Michael is furious that KITT has been dismantled and rebuilds KITT's AI unit, which is difficult since Maddock has sold most of KITT's technology to medical research. He reactivates KITT's logic module and installs him in the dashboard of his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. Shawn quits the police force after she learns her chief, Daniels, did not want to authorize her brain chip implant nor get involved in her case. She seeks employment with the Foundation, and Michael learns one of KITT's cybernetic chips is in her head. KITT links up with the chip and extracts her missing memories. Shawn remembers that Watts shot her and that her fellow officers were with him, including her partner. Watts learns Shawn is alive and sends the corrupt cops to eliminate her and Michael, who are chased down when they try fleeing in KITT. KITT helps them evade capture by driving off a pier where he quickly sinks. Michael and Shawn are safe, but KITT is damaged when water enters his circuitry. With Watts believing Michael and Shawn dead, he captures Devon and uses mind scanning technology to discover what Devon knows, killing him afterward. Michael and Shawn swim to safety and return to the Foundation, learning of Devon's death. After Devon's funeral, the mayor terminates FLAG's contract. Michael quits, but after Shawn confronts him, he returns and retrofits the Knight 4000 with KITT's AI. Michael and Shawn follow her former partner to a warehouse where guns are stored. Shawn arranges a gun transaction with her former partner. Before he can cooperate with FLAG's investigation, Watts shoots him. Michael saves Shawn from being killed. Maddock sends KITT a copy of the prison release papers for Watts, signed by the murdered mayor. Michael has KITT print more copies, sending one with a fake signature to Daniels using her name, and a similar one to the mayor, this time with his name. Following the mayor's limo, they record a conversation between the mayor and Watts discussing the papers. After ambushing a caravan of corrupt cops, they find no guns. KITT informs Michael there is another group of police cars headed for the local mall. Maddock convinces Daniels to allow KITT to pursue them. Watts has begun a transaction with a gun buyer. When one of the corrupt cops guarding Watts sights Shawn moving in, he shoots her, and the buyer and Watts flee. Michael catches up to Watts and disarms him. A fight ensues between Michael and Watts, Michael only stopping when Watts picks up his handgun. Shawn, only slightly wounded, arrives with the other handgun, instructing Watts to drop his. Michael talks Shawn down from shooting Watts. Watts then draws another gun hidden under his coat but Michael draws out an ultrasound gun and shoots Watts, who falls to his death. After Watts' defeat, the mayor is incarcerated, Michael returns to retirement, and KITT remains at the Knight Foundation with Shawn and Maddock. The trio continue their police work.

Cast

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on '' The Yo ...

as Michael Knight *

William Daniels William David Daniels (born March 31, 1927) is an American actor, who is best known for his television roles, notably as Mark Craig in the drama series '' St. Elsewhere'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards; the voice of KITT in the te ...

as the Voice of KITT *

Carmen Argenziano Carmen Antimo Argenziano (October 27, 1943February 10, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 73 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes. He was best known for playing Jacob Carter on ''Stargate SG-1''. He had recurring role ...

as Russell Maddock/Voice of Knight 4000 * Lou Beatty Jr. as Mayor Harold Abbey * Chris Bonno as Andrew * Megan Butler as Officer Marla Hedges * Robert F. Cawley as Prison Guard * Eugene Clark as Officer Kurt Miller *

James Doohan James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series '' Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottis ...

as Himself *

Francis Guinan Francis V. Guinan Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American film, television and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Edgar Teller the patriarch in the short-lived series '' Eerie, Indiana''. The Council Bluffs, Iowa-born actor ...

as Dr. Jeffrey Glassman * Philip Hafer as Charlie (as Phillip Hafer) *

Christine Healy Christine Healy (born June 13, 1950) is an American television and film actress. She has had recurring roles in television multiple series, including '' ER'' and ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' is an ...

as Commissioner Ruth Daniels * Carolyn G. Jackson as Bag Lady * Ron Jackson as Highway Police Officer * Stacy Lundgren as Sandy * Matthew Menger as Shawn's Father (as Matt Menger) *

Paul Menzel Paul Menzel is an American actor, writer, producer, and business consultant in Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United ...

as Businessman * J.W. Moore IV as Medical Technician * Edward Mulhare as

Devon Miles ''Knight Rider'' is an American action crime drama television series created and produced by Glen A. Larson. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from September 26, 1982, to April 4, 1986. The show stars David Hasselhoff as Michael Knig ...

Edwin Neal Edwin Neal is an American actor and voice actor, perhaps best known for his role as the hitchhiker in ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre''. He has been a voice talent and actor for years appearing on screen and off, including three voices in Wii's '' ...

as Warehouse Clerk * John Cannon Nichols as Lieutenant Justin Strand * Susan Norman as Officer Shawn McCormick *

Marco Perella Marco Perella (born May 18, 1949)Texas Birth Index, Harris County, May 18, 1949. is an American character actor and author, who has played a variety of small roles in motion pictures shot in Texas. He is best known for his role in '' Boyhood'' (2 ...

as Police Sergeant *

Mitch Pileggi Mitch Pileggi (born April 5, 1952) is an American actor. He played Horace Pinker in '' Shocker'', Walter Skinner on ''The X-Files'', Colonel Steven Caldwell on ''Stargate Atlantis'', Ernest Darby in ''Sons of Anarchy'', and Harris Ryland in the ...

as Thomas J. Watts * Ellis Posey as Mayor Frank Cottam * Larry Roop as Police Officer * Lori Swierski as Lori

Cameo

Actor

makes a cameo appearance as an innocent bystander that KITT mistakes for a criminal stealing money from an ATM. KITT stuns the suspect and the man collapses. When Michael and Maddock pick up the man to arrest him, they find Mr. Doohan, delirious (from being stunned), and mumbling various lines from his role of Scotty on ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

''.

Production

Development

The theme tune, "Knight Rider 2000", by

Jan Hammer Jan Hammer () (born 17 April 1948) is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as his film scores f ...

was released on his 1994 album ''Drive''. The studio was unable to use the real

Pontiac Banshee The Pontiac Banshee is a line of concept cars designed by Pontiac, assuming the role previously established by General Motors' Firebirds of the 1950s. Four Banshee "dream cars" were fabricated through 1988 as design exercises intended to estab ...

IV concept car for the movie, so instead it hired

Jay Ohrberg Jay Ohrberg is a car collector and car builder specializing in cars for film and television. His company Jay Ohrberg Star Cars has an extensive collection of original cars and replicas, many of them are offered for hire. Among the vehicles Jay h ...

Star Cars Inc. to customize a 1991

Dodge Stealth Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Ply ...

for the Knight 4000. After filming wrapped, the custom car was used on other TV productions of the time and can also be seen, albeit briefly, as a stolen supercar in '' CHiPs '99'', a future police vehicle in ''

Power Rangers Time Force ''Power Rangers Time Force'' is a television series and the ninth season of the '' Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 24th Super Sentai series ''Mirai Sentai Timeranger'', running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. ...

'', and in an episode of the television series ''

Black Scorpion Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

'' in 2001. After lying abandoned and unmaintained for 10 years, one of the cars was offered for sale in January 2021 by Bob's Prop Shop in Las Vegas. It was filmed in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and features some of the city's landmarks such as the

Botanical Gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, the

Tower of the Americas The Tower of the Americas is a observation tower-restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was ...

and

Shops at Rivercenter The Shops at Rivercenter (formerly known as Rivercenter Mall) is a shopping mall located in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States along the city's River Walk. The anchor stores are H&M, Macy's (closing April 2021) and AMC Theatres. It also ...

(then known as Rivercenter Mall). Because David Hasselhoff was already committed to ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

'', he wouldn't have been available to play Michael Knight full time had ''Knight Rider 2000'' actually made it to series. Hasselhoff as a compromise, suggested to NBC entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff to do four ''Knight Rider'' movies-of-the-week. NBC ultimately said to Hasselhoff that they were going to make movies-of-the-week for ''Knight Rider'' just like he suggested. But as it turned out, NBC ordered

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

to produce just one movie-of-the-week instead of four. Universal replied by saying that they couldn't figure out how to make money unless they make at least two films and produce them

back-to-back Back to Back or back-to-back may refer to: Music Songs * "Back to Back" (Drake song), 2015 * "Back to Back" (Jeanne Pruett song), 1979 *"Back to Back", a song by Pretty Maids from the 1984 album ''Red Hot and Heavy'' *"Back to Back", a song by ...

. When NBC refused to order more than one movie, that effectively ended this particular ''Knight Rider'' revival.

Reaction

Although the ratings for ''Knight Rider 2000'' were excellent, when NBC tested the audience reaction to Susan Norman, who was expected to front-line this proposed new ''Knight Rider'' series, she was given a thumbs down. According to David Hasselhoff, ''Knight Rider 2000'' missed the point of the original series and had taken the wrong direction. Instead, the story is about a former cop turned psychotic killer who brings terror to the city of

in the year 2000.

Home media

As well as being available as a single DVD, it is included in the Region 1, Region 2 and Region 4 versions of the ''Knight Rider'' Season One box set.

References

External links

* * * * {{Knight Rider Knight Rider films Television series reunion films 1990s science fiction drama films American science fiction television films American science fiction drama films Television pilots not picked up as a series 1991 television films 1991 films Television films as pilots Films based on television series Television films based on television series Films set in 2000 NBC network original films Films with screenplays by Rob Hedden Films shot in San Antonio Films directed by Alan J. Levi American drama television films 1990s American films