Speed Racer was one of those Japanese animated shows that I never quite got into, but as a little kid typically watched whenever it was on. Maybe I was just drawn to Speed’s “hip” red scarf or maybe it was all the misadventures of Speed’s little brother Spritle and his pet Chim-Chim (what kind of name is Spritle anyway?). Who knows, what I do know is the one character I liked the most, Racer X, was never in the show near enough. If I had my way Speed Racer the movie would be all about our mysterious masked racer who has a secret connection to the movie’s racing hero, Speed.
I was pretty worried when I heard they were adapting this historic Japanese cartoon into a live action movie until I found out who was writing/directing it, The Wachowski Brothers. Andy and Larry Wachowski, the brains behind The Matrix trilogy and V for Vendetta, are evidently huge fans of the 1960’s cartoon and I think combining that passion for the project with their eye for revolutionary special effects should produce a pretty awesome movie that is very faithful to the original.
Speed Racer stars Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer, Susan Sarandon as Mom Racer, John Goodman as Pops Racer, Christina Ricci as Trixie and Matthew Fox as Racer X. This first ever live action version of Speed Racer will hit theaters on May 9, 2008 and will be simultaneously released in IMAX theaters nationwide.
