VAL KILMER - KILMER TO VOICE KITT

KILMER TO VOICE KITT

Val Kilmer has been drafted in to replace Will Arnett as the voice of KITT the car in the TV remake of Knight Rider.

According to Variety, Arrested Development star Arnett has been forced to withdraw from the project, set to debut on US network NBC on February 17th, due to a dispute between carmakers.

Despite Arnett's dulcet tones being put to great use in Ratatouille - as chef Horst - and on the trailer directed by Edgar Wright for Grindhouse, they will not be heard in the updated version of Knight Rider, thanks to a contractual conflict of interest.

Arnett has performed over a decade of voiceover work for General Motors, but the part of KITT the car is 'played' by a Ford Mustang in the new show and Ford are also heavily involved in the pilot's marketing.

And the Blades of Glory star has confirmed that General Motors asked him to step down from the TV movie due to Ford's involvement.

"I was very excited at the prospect of playing the part of KITT in the new Knight Rider movie," he explained.

"However, because of a long relationship with General Motors as the voice of GMC Trucks, I had to respectfully withdraw from the project."

Kilmer - somewhat of a voiceover veteran - will now voice the talking car, while All My Children's Justin Bruening is to play the son of David Hasselhoff's original character Michael Knight.