Batman Forever star Val Kilmer is taking over as the new voice of the talking car K.I.T.T., in NBC's updated version of the classic 80s tv show Knight Rider, which starred David Hasselhoff.


KITT's voice was originally going to be supplied by Will Arnett (Arrested Development), however the actor has been forced to withdraw from the project, due to an apparent "conflict of interests".

The 2008 version of KITT is a shape-shifting Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra 500GTKR, and the Ford company are a marketing partner of the project. However, Arnett already works as the "voice" of GMC Trucks, a brand of rival manufacturer General Motors, who have asked him to step down.

The new Knight Rider (which NBC is describing as a "sequel to the original 80's series) premieres in the US with a one-off tv movie on Sunday February 17th. However, the network is planning to order a new weekly series of the show if the movie succeeds in the ratings.

* For more "behind the scenes" details on the new tv-movie, check out The Deadbolt Interview: Inside Knight Rider with Justin Bruening and David Bartis