Lost Knight wrote:Funny thing is, as I understand it, a few years ago both Glen Larson and David Hasselhoff went to different studios trying to get a movie made (obviously before their little falling out). The concept was to have Michael Knight's son take over as the new driver where Michael passes the torch onto him and perhaps Devon would have came back as a hologram. That concept (except for the hologram, of course) is pretty much what the NBC Knight Rider became, so I can't imagine Larson is too upset with NBC choosing to take that direction. If he has any creative issues with the production, I would think it has more to do with how NBC went about it after the fact, not the basic idea. But that's just my guess.
- David has no legal right to pitch, design, write, produce, or control Knight Rider in any way shape or form. He doesn't have the movie rights or the television rights. Yes he is the face of Michael Knight and he did a amazing job in the role but the property never has legally belonged to him.
Because he refused to wait to see what Glen wanted to do and tried to go around him, it upset Glen to the point he no longer wants to have anything to do with him. With David now in NBCU's camp opposing Glen's wishes to make his motion picture, it makes things pretty much unsalvagable at this point. David is Glen's competition at this point in a project he never approved. I'm not sure about the hologram thing although I do know David commisioned some writer to make a script for a feature film involving the passing of the torch to his son but again, he doesn't have a right to pitch or shop it around. He also had no right to post a false cast list on imdb or approach Orlando Bloom yet he did it anyway to drum up interest.
Glen doesn't support what NBCU has done, I can't stress that enough so I would say no, he absolutely does not agree at this point in time with the direction NBCU has taken Knight Rider. If he had read the script, which I would like to point out while I had a copy he REFUSED to read it himself and never actually read the script himself, he would have been extremely disappointed.
He was equally as disappointed with the backdoor pilot's final product.
Aside from the legalities of the new series.
Does GL have an opinion on what is now being done on the franchise?
- He doesn't support it, that's why he's suing NBCU in the background.
Is GL going to take a more active role with the 'executive producer' title as it goes to series? I'd like to think so.
I'd love to know, with things as they are for KR08, what direction would he now take this continuation story (aside from whether or not he would have liked to start from this point) if he does become more involved. I'm curious even hypothetically on that one because KOTP was such a great storyline with depth that is missing in a lot of TV since then....
- Depends on if Glen and NBCU find some sort of agreement. They say money is the great equalizer but I don't think in this particular case, Glen is interested in money this time around. He felt that they already stole BSG's audience from him who loyally follow Ronald Moore's vision and he agreed at the time to let Universal have two years to do whatever they wanted but when that time expired he was going to evoke his rights to make a motion picture based on his vision of Galactica. Unfortunately the press and Moore began mocking Glen's original Battlestar Galactica and praising Moore's new vision to the point people started to believe he was the one who created it that didn't know any better.
Glen regrets making this choice because by the time the two years ended, to him it was already too late to win people back to his original vision for BSG. I believe this time he does not want history to
potentially repeat itself and is trying to stop Universal before things get out of control that could
potentially jeapordize his motion picture plans. He will release his movie regardless but what matters here is
the audience that will pay to see it when it finally does come out. This is another reason I am making sure the film's script/story retains the elements that made Knight Rider what it is for the most part expected to be. If NBCU starts understanding this and actually listens to what the fans want and not what "they think" fans need, the series could redeem the short comings of the backdoor pilot.
Not to get off track here but it boils down to if Glen decides to reach an agreement with NBCU or if he wishes to fight them to get it shut down entirely. Either way it's going to be an expensive venture. If Glen agrees to some sort of agreement, I would guess he would probably view the property like George Lucas views
Star Wars between the movies and the books. Glen will have his world of
Knight Rider which he considers his "canon vision", and NBCU can have their own alternative one which to him will not be considered canon.
I've said this before, NBCU would have had a better chance making the backdoor pilot a remake then a continuation because they are bound by the history that came before it and if they don't pay attention to that canon history from the original four seasons they're going to suffer another
Bionic Woman fiasco.
Would Mr Larson stay away from the project because of DH being a possible recurring star due to their history?
- No, I don't believe he would stay away from the project because of David but he would avoid contact with or association with him at this point in time.
This isnt a question concerning the ongoing legal wrangles at all, purely from a creative POV, where would he take the new franchise?
- Only Glen can answer this question. All I can say for sure is that Glen sees the need to start over from the ground up, I think he would struggle with trying to "share" his vision with someone else he hasn't had experience working with before. Glen likes to maintain creative control over his properties
whereever possible. There would be definate creative conflicts.
I can tell you this much, the first thing to go with his involvement would be in my opinion the lackluster design of the Mustang and it's overly simplified dash. That much you can take to the bank.
=VK=
