Opinionated: Cast Jensen Ackles As The New Michael Knight, You Cowards
If the new movie needs a fresh Hoff face, he's your man.
Image Credit: CW/NBCUniversal
Not every Opinionated column will tackle big topics like the seismic shift in cinema we’re experiencing thanks to the current world pandemic situation. Some of them are simply fun ideas that pop into my head thanks to a confluence of pop culture news. Case in point? News that James Wan is producing a Knight Rider movie tied to the announcement that Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles is joining TV graphic novel adaptation The Boys for Season 3. Which then led me to think: what if Ackles is the perfect new version of Michael Knight?
Hear me out before you Hassel-scoff: the movie news sent me down a nostalgic road, watching the first couple of episodes of the ‘80s car-happy action series. A much younger me spent many a happy hour on a Thursday evening wrapped in both a dressing gown (with a mug of Ovaltine – don’t judge, I was old before my time) and the story of a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law. Yeah, that classic intro. I loved KITT, the central computing unit of the Knight Industries Two Thousand Trans-Am, voiced to snarktastic effect by William Daniels. I thrilled to the stunts and always enjoyed the smooth charm of The Hoff. Nobody, not even Hasselhoff himself, would declare that he’s the world’s greatest actor, but he has exactly what Michael Knight needed: a touch of smarm, the ability to be goofy when needed and intense at other times.
Ackles is, by any reckoning, a better all-round actor. 43 years of appearing in Supernatural, which a long time ago evolved from its monster-of-the-week format to a series that can handle high farce, musical, deep, dark trauma and a variety of other shades. No one on the show is giving Meryl Streep the cold sweats as award competition, but the series is always entertaining. And, as one of the anchors, Ackles has shown plenty of layers as monster-hunter Dean Winchester. Which brings us back around to the idea of Michael Knight.
With Supernatural wrapping up its run this year (following a COVID-forced production delay), he’s back on the acting market, looking for a job even as co-star Jared Padalecki moves on to a Walker, Texas Ranger reboot at the show’s home Stateside network The CW. The Boys gig is a supporting role, so he still has time unless he’s booked something else that has yet to break. And, in revisiting Knight Rider these last couple of days, it occurred to me that Ackles is a prime choice to channel the energy needed. Dean Winchester shares a lot of traits in common with Michael Knight; they can be brusque, they have an eye for the ladies, but when push comes to shove, they’re dedicated to their mission and they have a heart. Not to mention a way with a smart-alec quip at either the best or the worst moment. Ackles also spent all that time on the show showing appreciation for a great car (in Dean’s case, a Chevy Impala, but you get the idea). I’d doubt he’d go for the perm, but then, that’s not a deal-breaker.
Join me, won’t you, in imagining a world where we have a new Michael Knight with all the right qualifications. And if it helps to launch the actor to another level, as with Chris Pratt and Guardians Of The Galaxy? Well, the man has put the time in.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments, or you can reach me on Twitter.