We’ve been hearing about the Killing Hasselhoff movie for awhile, and David talked about it at the Fallbrook Film Festival, but now we finally have some concrete information as to the plot.
This laugh out loud comedy was introduced to Intandem by the Co-creators, producers and writers of Baywatch (and the forthcoming Baywatch Movie), Michele and Michael Berk. They will be producing this along with David Hasselhoff. Chris Collins’s world is turned upside down, personally, professionally and financially by the worst run of luck imaginable. Desperate, Chris decides that the only way out of his nightmare is to orchestrate the immediate death of David Hasselhoff and make it look natural or accidental, so that he can win nearly half-a-million dollars in his “Celebrity Death Pool”.
Variety Interview:
David Hasselhoff took to the beach in Cannes this week, this time for business meetings not for Baywatch duty.
The Hoff was in town for three days to talk up his forthcoming feature film Killing Hasselhoff, in which he will star and serve as one of the producers.
He said he wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the film crowds here — he has long attended the MIP markets for TV in Cannes but had never attended the film festival before.
He enjoyed attending the opening-night soiree for The Great Gatsby, and got a lot of stares and requests for photos and autographs. “It’s an international market and people seem to know me internationally, I’m the biggest TV star in France right now,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a world of movies. Why is everyone looking at me?” He got a lot of shouts of Alerte à Malibu and K200 (the French titles for Baywatch and Knight Rider, respectively.)
But he’s also been here on business talking up the new comedy. Michele Berk, one of the co-creators and producers of Baywatch, got the script for Killing Hasselhoff and immediately knew the actor would love it.
“She gave it to me on my birthday,” Hasselhoff remembers. “She said, ‘I have a birthday present for you, it’s called Killing Hasselhoff. I said, ‘I’m in, I don’t care what the script is, I know I can live with that title’…The only person who can bring David Hasselhoff down is David Hasselhoff.”
The ensemble comedy will be about a man who hopes to claim the jackpot from a celebrity death pool by hiring a hitman to kill The Hoff.
Hasselhoff is willing to poke fun at his image in the project. “They come to my house to kill me, and I’m lifting weights and talking about doing Batman the Musical,” he says. “It’s very funny.”
This kind of comedy appeals to him. “I want to be entertained at the movies, or moved. We’ve forgotten to entertain. Reality [TV] has taken over and they’re paying people thousands of dollars to go around sitting in hot tubs and talk about a bunch of crap about each other and they’re getting famous. They are stupid people and stupid situations. It’s great to get back to something that’s well written.”
The Hoff is that rare breed of celebrity that seems to actually enjoy being famous. “Why shouldn’t you?,” he asks. “I think the people that don’t have fun with fame and celebrity are the ones that were insecure before they were actors. Then they become more insecure.”
He continues: “It’s an amazing life that’s allowed me to go around the world, have lunch in Cannes, sell a movie about myself.”
The Hoff has a short stay in Cannes because he’s now off to drive in the famous Gumball 3000 road rally.
But he’s not taking his eye off his business for long. “I’ve got a lot of stuff coming up, I kind of go with the flow. I’m at a really good time in my life. I have a phrase that is ‘see it, believe it, live it.’ It works.”
Hasselhoff’s other projects include a German TV Series, Tales from The Hoff; a comic book The Hoff: Heroes of Fearless Freedom; a videogame calledHoff at Zombie Beach, and touring with live events such as David Hasselhoffpresents The ’80s and ’90s.
He is encouraged by his meetings in Cannes so far. “This is aninternational market, we’re here with an international project and the response has just been terrific.
By Wendy Mitchell
Actor David Hasselhoff is in Cannes for three days to promote the project, which reunites him with Baywatchproducers Michele Berk and Michael Berk.
Intandem Films is executive producing and handling international sales. Producers are Lotus Pictures, Angelworld and Hoff Productions.
Peter Hoare wrote the comedy, about a man trying to win money in a celebrity death pool who hires a hitman to kill Hasselhoff.
Hasselhoff, who will star and produce, said: “It’s fun, it’s funny. I want to be entertained at the movies.”
He is encouraged by his meetings in Cannes so far. “This is an international market, we’re here with an international project and the response has just been terrific.”
A large ensemble cast of comedy talents is being assembled with Jon Lovitz already confirmed to play Hasselhoff’s agent. A slew of cameos are also planned.
Michele Berk describes the tone of the film as “The Hangover meets Horrible Bosses”. They plan to shoot the project in the US in the autumn. Some footage will be shot in Los Angeles but they are also looking at states with attractive tax credits.
A director will be named in the coming weeks.
Berk is also producing the Baywatch movie at Paramount, which she says is now scripted and will be ready to shoot in the autumn.
