The iconic David Hasselhoff is such a huge star that he was responsible for the Baywatch remake’s box office success overseas, despite the movie being a critical and commercial flop in the U.S. And the fact that he only has a very minor cameo. That’s some certified star power right there. Everybody loves The Hoff, a theme which is explored from a bizarre new angle in the comedy Killing Hasselhoff, which is available now on DVD and Digital HD formats. Ryan Downey recently sat down to chat with David Hasselhoff, getting his thoughts on this outrageous comedy that puts a target on The Hoff’s back. He also learned quite a bit more about the man and his persona.
As we saw in the Killing Hasselhoff trailer that debuted in July, the story centers around a strange but lucrative game played by a group of well-off and affluent friends. Once a year, these friends get together for a game called “Who Will Die This Year,” where they each have to put up a healthy sum of money and pick which celebrity they think will die this year, a “death pool,” so to speak. The winner takes home a half million dollars. Ater a string of unfortunate events, one entrant, a night club owner named Chris (Ken Jeong), realizes that his only way out of his massive debt is to kill David Hasselhoff, the celebrity he chose in the death pool game. But, as we learned in the trailer for this Universal Pictures Home Entertainment comedy, The Hoff cannot be killed off so easily.
To help Chris along the way, his friends Fish (Rhys Darby) and Tommy (Jim Jeffries) help him do whatever it takes to knock off The Hoff. The supporting cast also includes a bunch of talented comedians such as Colton Dunn, Dan Bakkedahl, Jon Lovitz, Ron Funches, Will Sasso and Flula Borg, with a number of celebrities appearing as themselves such as America’s Got Talent hosts Mel B and Howie Mandel, original Baywatch star Gena Lee Nolin, Rick Fox, Kid Cudi, Michael Winslow, Pat Monahan and Tony Rock. If that wasn’t enough, mega-superstar Justin Bieber also joins the cast, to provide the voice of K.I.T.T., the iconic talking car from David Hasselhoff’s iconic series Knight Rider.
Speaking of Knight Rider, we get a brief update from The Hoff about the long-gestating Knight Rider reboot. David Hasselhoff has hinted in the recent past that he’s spoken with Guardians of the Galaxy 2 director Jame Gunn about taking rebooting this franchise. Still, it may be quite some time before this long-awaited project actually gets off the ground, since there is an actual movie being planned with Kevin Hart and John Cena in the leads. But The Hoff certainly seems quite passionate about bringing this project to life. While there is certainly an audience for Knight Rider, especially in Germany, it will be interesting to see if and when it finally happens. And if so, who may star in it alongside David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight. The Hoff did say in a recent interview that he didn’t want to see his beloved series spoofed like the 21 Jump Street movies. Even though that’s currently the plan
As for Killing Hasselhoff, the DVD comes filled with exclusive and hilarious deleted scenes taking viewers further into the film’s crazy adventure. Killing Hasselhoff was directed by Darren Grant (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) from a screenplay by Peter Hoare (Kevin Can Wait). Since this film did not get a theatrical release, we’ll have to wait and see if it can find an audience on DVD and Digital HD. Take a look at our exclusive interview with David Hasselhoff below for Killing Hasselhoff.
You can take a look at the video here. Ryan Downey goes through the production process of Killing Hasselhoff, breaking down just how this crazy and very unique project came to be. He also touches on his Baywatch fame, his worldwide notoriety and all the dangers that come with being famous around the world. A big part of doing the movie for Hasselhoff is telling the truth behind his persona. The movie touches on celebrity culture and how David has dealt with that over the years. Take a look, and get ready for one heck of a wild ride.