Autoblog

Click above for photo gallery. Follow the jump for the music video.

The music video for the updated Speed Racer theme, "Go Speed Racer Go", has hit the web, and while the song itself gets annoying after a couple of verses (how many times can you listen to that refrain before going insane?), the actual video is mesmerizing. There's a lot of footage that hasn't been seen in the trailers and ads so far, and the cartoon come-to-life visuals are simply eye-popping. In that respect, anyone who ponies up ten bucks for a ticket is going to get his or her money's worth. Hopefully, the strength of the story can match the undeniable visual power the Wachowski's onscreen kaleidoscope is set to deliver. At least one early review indicates that may not be the case, unfortunately. We'll wait 'till we see it ourselves next weekend to pass final judgement. In the meantime, feast your eyes on the new video after the jump.


[Source: Ain't It Cool News]

UPDATE: New high-res pics added, click above

The upcoming Speed Racer movie just got a whole lot more interesting to us since learning about this sweepstakes that's being held in conjunction with the premier on May 9th. The prize is a Speed Racer-inspired Mach 5 Corvette, but it not just any 'Vette . It's actually a C5 Corvette wearing a body inspired by the '63 - '67 C2 Corvette. Despite its classic outward appearance, the interior is all C5 wrapped in custom leather and painted red, and the motor is a very modern 350-hp LS1 V8. The Speed Racer decals and color scheme put it over the top, though. The purveyors of the sweeps peg the car's value at $100,000, and to win it you have to visit this site and enter you cell phone number and carrier, or just text "fast" to 90736. You'll then get a text message on April 18th with a Speed Racer trivia question, which you'll have two minutes to answer correctly. Ten of those people who answer correctly will be flown out to the premier and race mini cars of some sort to win the actual Speed Racer Mach 5 'Vette. We know, those are a lot of hoops through which to jump, but a Mach 5 Corvette is kind of cool.



[Source: Warner Brothers]

Larry and Andy Wachowski, the minds behind The Matrix and its unfortunate sequels, are gambling that a live-action version of the anime classic, Speed Racer, will resonate with moviegoers. The project will be written and directed by the Wachowskis, who are developing the film's visual style as they write the screenplay. Producer Joel Silver, who has partnered with the brothers on the Matrix trilogy and V For Vendetta, convinced them to take on Speed Racer during the filming of Vendetta.

Unlike their past projects, Speed Racer will be family-friendly, and feature racing sequences likely to showcase the brothers' knack for producing astonishing visual effects. All the characters you know from the animated series are set to appear in the film, which is slated for a Summer 2008 release.

[Source: Boris Kit, The Hollywood Reporter via FARK]