After numerous failed reboots, Knight Rider is finally getting another chance at a revival and no less than Variety, director Justin Lin will be at the helm. According to Knight Rider 2000 Lin and his YOMYOMF production company will produce the new series alongside digital network Machinima and NBC Universal Brand Development. Unlike past – and failed – attempts at bringing KITT back to the small screen, this adaptation is reportedly being prepared as a digital reboot, which means that that it’s likely to be made available through a streaming service.

No official details have been revealed about the project other than identifying Lin as the producer of the new show. It still has no cast and it’s not yet known if David Hasselhoff will be involved in any capacity. Likewise, Machinima has no information yet on any potential distribution deals. More information is expected to be announced in the coming months as part of the production timetable. It is expected that if everything goes smoothly, the launch could happen sometime in 2017.

If the show does get off the ground, it would become the latest in a long line of reboots of the original show that aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986 starring the Hoff himself. That show remains the quintessential version of Knight Rider as reboots like Knight Rider 2010, Team Knight Rider, Knight Rider, and NBC’s Knight Rider in 2008 have all failed miserably.

Hopefully, this version, if it ever comes to pass, becomes the reboot that Knight Rider fans have all been waiting for. Lord knows we’ve waited years for KITT to make a successful return and having Lin involved in the project is as good a start as any in successfully bringing back the crime-fighting, OG autonomous car.

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I'm optimistic about this one compared to the other failed reboots

As a long suffering fan of Knight Rider, I think I know well enough to say fans have waited for a legitimate reboot of the franchise we all grew up watching and loving. I can speak for myself because my author profile on this site speaks on how Knight Rider was one of my early influences on the road to becoming a geek about cars. I had my hopes up with that 2008 reboot that NBC did, but that one flopped so bad I didn’t even make it past four episodes. And don’t get me started on Knight Rider 2000 and Knight Rider 2010.

This one though looks to be different. Not only does it have Justin Lin attached to it, but it appears that it has the backing of at two big studios: NBC Universal and Warner Bros. The latter, for those who don’t know, is one of Machinima’s biggest investors and has had discussions with the digital company of buying the whole thing altogether. If this reboot does get the green light, you can be sure that both NBC Universal and Warner Bros. will be fully invested in making it work.

The digital content platform could also be an advantage for the new series, in large part because the networks don’t have to worry about blocking off prime time slots on their channels to fit Knight Rider in. That didn’t work the last time and while it may not have been the root cause of why the 2008 reboot bombed, I doubt that NBC would want to take that risk again. Putting it in a digital platform that relies on paid subscriptions could be a good move because the formula has worked for some of today’s best shows. Think Stranger Things or the Marvel films on Netflix.

I hope it works out for this reboot of Knight Rider; I can’t wait to see KITT back in action.