John Cena provides an update on the in-development Knight Rider reboot, telling us he hopes the project comes into fruition soon. Cena, who has grown his own brand since exploding onto the WWE scene in 2002, gave Screen Rant an update on the live-action adaptation of the Duke Nukem video game franchise that rumors attached him to earlier this year. Here, while promoting Blockers and while Cena took some time away from his preparation to take on the Undertaker in next month’s Wrestlemania 34 in New Orleans and gave us some insight into another revival project: Knight Rider.
Last August, Screen Rant broke the news that Cena and Kevin Hart were being courted for the a Knight Rider film which would be an action comedy along the lines of 21 Jump Street. The film would see Cena take on the role of Michael Knight (a role originally held by David Hasselhoff) with Hart voicing Knight’s A.I-driven Pontiac Firebird, KITT. The original TV series ran for 90 episodes from 1982 to 1986 and had lived on and off in syndication until 2012. The popularity of the original lead to a short-lived 2008 sequel series and raised interest in developing films in the past (one such pitch was actually given by Hasselhoff himself to director Robert Rodriguez).
Related: David Hasselhoff Wants Logan-Style Knight Rider
None of those films ever made it into production, however, and as time has gone by, the property has begun to fade from memory until the Weinstein Company decided to take another turn. While discussing his new film, Blockers, Cena gave us a quick update on the progress of this latest Knight Rider film.
Screen Rant: Another film I saw your name floating around with, and I don’t know how much you would even know about this, was Knight Rider.
John Cena: Yep.
SR: And I think the take on that was more of a comedic tone.
John Cena: It was.
SR: Is that still in the works at all?
John Cena: Ehhhh, once again it takes a miracle to make a movie nowadays. It is still in the works and hopefully, it will come to fruition because the draft I read of it... I thought it was amazing.
And that doesn’t sound too promising for fans hoping to see a Hart-voiced AI car smack talking Cena anytime soon. Cena’s comment that “it takes a miracle to make a movie” can certainly be construed as an indicator that this iteration of Knight Rider, like its predecessors, may never make it to the big screen. Obviously, with Cena and Hart attached, there’s quite a bit of star power to drive the vehicle forward, but the final call isn’t theirs to make. If this version of Knight Rider is set to join those that have come before it in development hell, at least we know a draft exists which, someday, could be released.
Following his turn in Blockers this spring, Cena steps into the Transformers universe as Sector 7 agent Burns when Bumblebee hits theaters this Christmas.
MORE: James Gunn & David Hasselhoff Have Discussed Knight Rider Reboot
