David Hasselhoff has plans for next film to partly shoot in Abu Dhabi

Hasselhoff said he’d been talking to Image Nation and the Ministry of Culture about partnering on the second film.

David Hasselhoff, pictured with his partner Hayley Roberts at the opening of the J G restaurant in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The National
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The former Baywatch and Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff plans to shoot part of his next film, Hour Man Hoff, in Abu Dhabi and is in talks with local partners to help fund it.

The star was in the UAE over the weekend to attend the opening of the new J G restaurant at Four Seasons Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, and give an informal talk to filmmakers at Image Nation Abu Dhabi after judging last year’s Arab Film Studio competition.

"I just finished shooting Killing Hasselhoff, which was financed by Image Nation in Abu Dhabi, and I came back because I'm doing a new film called Hour Man Hoff. It's a spy spoof. I need camels, I need Etihad Airways. We'll be shooting part of it here, we'll be shooting all over the world. It's kind of based on an idea like Our Man Flint, but it's Hour Man Hoff, and I'll go after all the beautiful girls in the world that are spies and I love it. We'll be shooting in April next year over here, because I think I would melt right now."

Hasselhoff said he’d been talking to Image Nation and the Ministry of Culture about partnering on the second film.

"I want to retain control of the movie. Instead of making a movie for US$50 million (Dh183.6m), you can make one for $3m. Killing Hasselhoff we made for $3m, and it works because it's got a good script and great actors involved, and that's what we want to do with this."

Hasselhoff also took time out during the Abu Dhabi leg of his trip to speak to local filmmakers and his advice seems to have paid off for at least one AFS student. “One guy there at Image Nation said to me yesterday: ‘I’m making a film about a young race car driver, will you do a cameo?’ And I said ‘yes.’ That’s how you do it. That’s how you do it. You get in the game. The kid had the guts to ask me and I said: ‘Yes.’”

cnewbould@thenational.ae