The Real Reason Why Will Arnett Was Dropped As KITT?

There was a time when we thought Knight Rider might be saved by having WIll Arnett voice KITT. This was right before they announced Will Arnett would not voice KITT. The excuse they gave had to do with this other job as the voice of GMC Trucks. This clip from Arnett suggests that the producers may have been going in a different creative direction. [MTV]

9:40 AM on Tue Feb 19 2008
By Matt Hardigree
4,386 views
25 comments

Comments

Morphine at 10:11 AM on 02/19/08
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"You can be my wingman anytime, Michael."
"No KITT, you can be mine . . . "
dolo54 at 10:41 AM on 02/19/08
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that's totally awesome. good thing he didn't do the show cause it sucked so bad. just what the vile climber deserves.
dylanseals at 10:41 AM on 02/19/08
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Down with Knight Rider! Please stop this incessant KR campaign. It's just a lousy Mustang for God Sakes!
Red AuerБЯд╒╒ at 10:59 AM on 02/19/08
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They couldnt use him because apparently, he is too funny and has a good sense of humor... everything hollywood hates these days.
noremac at 11:09 AM on 02/19/08
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"Michael...I've made a terrible mistake.."
goatrope at 11:13 AM on 02/19/08
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I just can't get enough of this KITT coverage! Certainly there must be more angles to cover with this story - it is all so interesting! Come on, Jalopnik - more KITT coverage!!

And country music radio needs to play more songs by Carrie Underwood and Kenny - they just don't get enough exposure.
fiat22turbo at 11:20 AM on 02/19/08
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For crying out loud! It is a freaking kids show! It is made for young boys 12-18 who don't really understand what good acting or a plot looks like (or adult males who never grew up past puberty). Can we ADULTS please talk about something else now? I think I'd rather see NASCAR coverage than more Knight Rider coverage.
2 GIЯLS 1 POLAЯ at 11:23 AM on 02/19/08
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The other "actors" on the show secretly protested against Arnett as KITT. They were afraid of being on a show where a car would be more talented and entertaining than their efforts combined.
hsuperman at 11:24 AM on 02/19/08
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gob > kitt
Matt_84 at 11:36 AM on 02/19/08
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Whats wrong Michael, you chicken?
*begin chicken dance!*
Coka, Coka, Coka!

haha, yeah way too talented for that pile of crap they called Knight Rider...
tbennett017 at 12:01 PM on 02/19/08
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Have you seen what old Gob did on the outtakes for the 30Rock DVD? That dude is over the top.
CEman at 12:05 PM on 02/19/08
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JESUS!!
Can you guys go a half a day without this crap?!!
$Image of Dr.Danger\'s got the beat$ Dr.Danger's got the beat at 12:07 PM on 02/19/08
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@tbennett017: He was great in 30Rock.

@POLAЯ: I could also see him secretly mocking them all.
stevecmh at 12:42 PM on 02/19/08
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he should have been the voice.. he has a much better voice than the old fat batman
rkwadd at 12:56 PM on 02/19/08
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Whoa whoa whoa.... What you guys have to understand here, is that Jalopnik is about "The Cult of Cars" not just about cars. So they're going to cover all the important angles, and if you don't like it, you can read Autoblog.
usa1 at 01:26 PM on 02/19/08
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Another day, another Knight Rider article. Check.
2 GIЯLS 1 POLAЯ at 02:31 PM on 02/19/08
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The Ice(cream)man sucked!
dylanseals at 02:33 PM on 02/19/08
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@rkwadd: How is this article an "important angle" in the "cult of cars"? Are you implying that KR and KITT are "important"? Like looking back in 5 years (scratch that) 5 months from now will it be considered "important"? Or will it just be a tiny blip of marketing PR and no real lasting contribution to our collective enthusiasm for automobiles?

I suppose these articles drum up enough ad revenue for Jalop that they can pay Murilee (and some others) to write the really insightful and nostalgic articles that resonate with my personal enthusiasm (love) for cars.
htrodblder at 02:43 PM on 02/19/08
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Damn, I'm kinda glad I watched "clean this house" instead
allroad at 02:43 PM on 02/19/08
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What is happening to television?
Do advertising dollars dictate everything?

There were more Ford products in that two hour movie than there are actually on the road today.

Please, producers, get creative. Better yet, get realistic. And enough with the tight shots of the Cobra badge. We get it.

Hey Ford. I will never buy one.
Benson2175 at 05:12 PM on 02/19/08
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@allroad: With you right here. What Ford doesn't get is that kids are way more savvy now and they'll see right through this b/s ad as show nonsense and instead of building Ford owners of tomorrow, they're building Ford resenters of tomorrow. Enough KR coverage already. How much money did Ford give you really?
Ray Wert at 07:30 AM on 02/20/08
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@rkwadd: I'd also like to add we're "obsessed with" said cult.
jammadave at 10:21 AM on 02/20/08
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I'm actually suspecting that they kept Arnett's voice in the commercials where KITT goes "Hello, Mike" in a vaguely sinister voice with a bit of DSP applied. I say this because by contrast, Kilmer's KITT is much softer and more "actor tries to sound like robot". Would've definitely liked more to have Gob do it; but really, William Daniels or nothin'.

FWIW, and I may be alone in this, I liked the *storyline* used in the new KR to forge a continuity with the old one. But I think the parts that sucked were more numerous than the parts that I liked.
Navin R Johnson at 11:48 AM on 02/20/08
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As soon as I saw that the movie contained neither Hasselhoff nor a Camaro/Firebird I said no thank you. I will never watch that movie, ever.

Not having Will Arnett is just another swift kick to the jimmy.
dmn99se at 11:20 PM on 02/25/08
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glad they didn't use this guy, he sounds a bit like a twit, what's so special about him anyways