Val Kilmer replaces Will Arnett as Knight Rider voice

In a move that could be described as "cold as ice...man!", Variety reports that General Motors recently put the brakes on Will Arnett's already-recorded voiceovers for the upcoming NBC Knight Rider movie.

Arnett, known to many as Arrested Development's magician named G.O.B., apparently made a huge mistake when he signed on to become the voice of KITT (a Ford Mustang in its new incarnation), what with being under contract as the voice of GMC Trucks. He told Variety: "Because of a long relationship with General Motors...I had to respectfully withdraw from the project."

NBC may have had to hustle to replace Arnett's buttery man-voice—the Ford-promoted Knight Rider movie is scheduled to air on Feb. 17—but they sure found some upper-echelon strings to pull, snagging Val Kilmer to re-record the car's dialogue. Kilmer has some voice-over experience, notably portraying both Moses and God in 1998's The Prince of Egypt.

Kilmer's voice was last in the spotlight when he immersed himself in his role as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors, performing the vocals himself and supposedly doing it well enough that original members of the band found his voice indistinguishable from Morrison's. In fact, Kilmer is currently shopping his debut album to labels.

For those unfamiliar with Arnett's unforgettable Arrested Development character, this short montage should catch you up:

While we're on the topic of AD, keep your browser pointed to PasteMagazine.com for the latest news about the upcoming Arrested Development film...on second thought, no. We're withholding it. Look at us, getting off.