How many of you have ever seen the vintage anime series Speed Racer?
Personally, I never got into it but I still think it’s a pretty cool idea. So apparently Hollywood is cooking up a live-action version of the show, with the creators behind “The Matrix” directing. One thing to remember about the Wachowski brothers is that their main inspiration for ‘The Matrix’ came from their love of anime and Japanese culture.
From writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the groundbreaking The Matrix trilogy, and producer Joel Silver comes the live-action, high-octane family adventure “Speed Racer.â€
Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer—whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill.
Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line.
The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
Slated for release on May 9, 2008, “Speed Racer†marks the Wachowski brothers’ first writing/directing collaboration since “The Matrix†movies. Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowskis on “The Matrix†movies and “V For Vendetta,†is producing the film under his Silver Pictures banner.
The film stars Emile Hirsch (“Alpha Dogâ€) as Speed, Christina Ricci (“Black Snake Moanâ€) as Trixie, Matthew Fox (TV’s “Lostâ€) as Racer X, and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walkingâ€) and John Goodman (“Evan Almightyâ€) as Mom and Pops Racer. Rounding out the main cast are Australian actor Kick Gurry (“Spartanâ€) as Sparky; Paulie Litt (TV’s “Hope & Faithâ€) as Sprittle; Roger Allam (“The Queen,†“V For Vendettaâ€) as Royalton; and Asian music star Ji Hoon Jung (popularly known as Rain), making his major feature film debut as a rival driver.
Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the live-action “Speed Racer†will showcase the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers’ films.
“Speed Racer†is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production.
So what do you think about the idea? Will it be good? Will you check it out? 
This brings back some nostalgic memories. Speed Racer (aka Mach Go Go Go) along
with Astro Boy (aka Mighty Atom), Kimba the White Lion (aka Jungle Emperor), and
Prince Planet (aka Planet Boy Popi) were the first anime I remember viewing.
As for the movie…it looks interesting. I think Speed Racer and the Wachowski
brothers might be a good fit. Depending on my schedule and finances, I probably
will check it out.
mochi – I heard Chim-Chim the monkey is gonna be played by a real-live chimp! That will be weird…Personally, I’m just glad that Christina Ricci is gonna be Trixie!
Did you see the updated Astro Boy anime series from a few years ago? It was pretty cool!
@David
For me, I guess, having a live chimp is preferable to a CGI chimp. If he/she is
well trained and directed, there should be no problem. When CGI is used for
impersonal things like space ships or even monsters, it’s okay. However, when
it is used for a character that has to continually interact with the live action
characters, I find that a bit distracting…an example is with the recent Scooby
Doo movies.
I try not to comment much about female characters/actors since I still don’t
know what comments will irritate my wife…of course, if she reads this she will
probably hit me.
I remember back in the late 80s catching a portion of an Astro Boy episode. It
was strange to me since it was in color and all the episodes I remember seeing
in the past were in black and white. I didn’t find out until much later that the
1960s series had been remade in the 1980s. As for the 2003 series, I was never
able to catch more than one or two episodes since it kept on changing time slots
and networks (KidsWB and Cartoon Network). What little I saw looked very good,
however.
It would be preferable for a CGI chimpanzee to be used. Chimpanzees are horribly abused in the entertainment industry. In order to get them to perform all sorts of violent tactics are used, including shock collars, cattle prods, and even hammers. On the set, it may seem like the chimpanzee is well treated but that’s because all of the abuse occurs off-set while the chimpanzee is being trained.
It’s truly horrible and no amount of entertainment is worth injuring another sentient being.
For more info visit Jane Goodall’s website, where she talks about chimpanzee training:
http://www.janegoodall.org/chimp_central/conservation/issues/in_entertainment.asp