The movie magnates of Hollywood may actually be bringing something to the silver screen that has the distinct possibility of not sucking away our lives and our hard earned cash. Brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski of Matrix and V for Vendetta fame are taking on a series that serves as one of our first motoring memories. That's right kiddies, a live action version of Speed Racer.Warner Bros and Village Roadshow have enlisted the acting talents of John Goodman and Susan Sarandon as Speed's parents, while the oh-so-delectable Christina Ricci will be playing his devoted love interest, Trixie. And she can drive too.
The iconic anime, originally created by Tatsuo Yoshida, will be recreated in typical Wachowski style, including Speed's whip: the Mach 5. We can't wait until it hits theaters May 9th, next year.
[Source: The Film Asylum]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick @ Apr 24th 2007 11:21AM
I sense a huge amount of suckness approaching...
PS. Ricci is crap, plus she's ugly.
J @ Apr 24th 2007 11:40AM
wait a second. WHOS PLAYING SPEED???
Kit @ Apr 24th 2007 11:45AM
Emile Hirsche. Heard of a couple of his movies, but haven't seen any of them.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0386472/
JW @ Apr 24th 2007 12:09PM
Don't forget Matthew Fox of "Lost" as Racer X.
I haven't seen anything starring Emile Hirsche but I can see him as Speed given his moonpie face and doe eyes.
John @ Apr 24th 2007 12:43PM
So they are finally going to make this movie. I remember reading about it in Entertainment Weekly back in the mid-90s.
Rick Lyon @ Apr 24th 2007 12:50PM
As long as Speed says 'ohh' when rocks come crashing down the mountainous roads and he steers violently;y to avoid it at least once, with sprocket and chim chim in the trunk I'll be happy. And it MUST HAVE THE CHA CHA CHA sound effects when it leaps into the air!!
glitched @ Apr 24th 2007 1:20PM
any idea what kind of visual theme they are going for? hyper realistic? anime as real world?
bob @ Apr 24th 2007 1:22PM
Ricci's huge forehad creates a lot of drag and thus she won't be driving a convertible.
ClutchCargo @ Apr 24th 2007 1:31PM
WoooWhooo. I hope they get it right. Others that have tried making the Mach 5 have so far failed. None of the cars looked like an actual copy of the 60's cartoon. They all seem to be an exaggertion of the design. I guess its not easy as the car seemed to change from scene to scene. The Shooting Star driven by Racer X has been easier to copy. Yes, I'm a Speed Racer geek. Just don't lump me in with those Treky guys...lol
Whiplash @ Apr 24th 2007 1:44PM
That's Spritle not Sprocket. ;-) And I agree... some of those signature elements from the cartoon need to come over, but if they over do it, it could get real cheesy, real fast.
I personally would love to see Speed go up against the car acrobatic team again, or maybe the mammoth car. Sweet.
And yeah, Ricci is a dog. I nominate Cathrine Bell from Jag as Trixie.
Prop_Blu @ Apr 24th 2007 3:19PM
I Nominate Catherine Bell to do WHATEVER she wants!!
WOOOAH MAMA!!!
Yes, I would crawl across hot coals for her or Monica Bellucci, or Sofia Vergara...
Ahem! Seriously though...
I don't know about Ricci's 'skills' but Cat is an adrenaline junkie and can already drive, ride, and sky dive(my favorite activities), so she would be a great fit.
One thing I don't want to see is Speed in mascara or an Ascot, or #&*$ing Penny Loafers.. UGH.
A proper racing suit please.
As for the basis of the Mach 5, maybe the Ariel Atom? The Bros W certainly won't have to fake the speed or handling with that car.
Ralph @ Apr 24th 2007 3:33PM
I don't care what they do with anything else, do *NOT* fark up the design of the Mach 5. You can mod it (I think Dark Horse, could be wrong, did a variation to the design in a comic during the 90s that kept the look but made it more "believable") but don't screw it up -- I have a nightmare that they're going to do a "well, we wanted to "keep it real" so we set it in NASCAR and the Mach 5 is now a Monte Carlo with some cool gadgets..."
chim chim @ Apr 24th 2007 3:48PM
Don't forget me.
Don @ Apr 24th 2007 4:33PM
This movie's setting up nicely...great cast, two visionary directors.
I'm game.
ClutchCargo @ Apr 24th 2007 8:46PM
I wonder who will play Spritel? Chim Chim will probably be CGI. I have seen photos of Ricci with trixie style hair. Her big anime eyes work well. As long as she can act it should be ok. Thinking about the lines the cartoon trixie spoke, it shouldn't be hard.
BowserUSC @ Apr 24th 2007 11:33PM
Im not sure how into this I can be. I was a big fan of it while i was growing up, so there would be very high expectations for me. It was my favorite show and is what inspired me to get into engineering design.
But Speed has to most definately be wearing a blue shirt, ascot and penny loafers and they cannot mess with the Mach 5. I dont want to see some completely new design for everything, and racer x should be played by the stig.
BowserUSC @ Apr 24th 2007 11:45PM
If you check the 'fun trivia' at imdb it says, "According to producer Joel Silver, this movie is going to be largely or entirely shot in front of the green screen."
Brandon @ Apr 25th 2007 1:40AM
I don't think if I was casting the movie, that I would choose Ricci but she's probably a good choice. The Emile guy looks a LOT like Speed, so he's DEFINITELY a good choice.
I've been a fan of the show since I was a kid, and have collected a lot of Speed Racer merchandise since then, so it'd be nice if they did this movie right. I remember when they first announced a Speed Racer movie in 1996 and it was going to be NASCAR based. I nearly barfed! I believe they mentioned casting Jeff Gordon or Tom Cruise as Speed :-\.
If Speed isn't driving something that looks exactly like the original Mach 5, then it is going to lose HUGE points in my book. I don't want him driving a white 350Z or any crap like that. Mach 5 or nothing!