Much like the new Underdog movie, the Wachowski brothers' bigscreen adaptation of the popular Speed Racer cartoon will not be animated, but considering the Wachowskis were behind the Matrix trilogy, one assumes the new film will be both visually stunning and not especially "heavy" storywise. Of course, it's not as if the original cartoon was all that deep, either, so in many ways this is a good match. If they do it right, it could be the perfect no-brainer, popcorn matinee.
Christina Ricci was recently added to the cast as Trixie, Speed's (Emile Hirsch) girlfriend. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon also round out the cast as Pops, the racecar builder, and his wife. In the clip below, Ricci talks about how cool it is to be working with the Wachowskis.
I'm a bit too young to have seen Speed Racer when it originally aired, so I'm curious what fans think of this adaptation. Are the Wachowskis a good choice to helm this project?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-13-2007 @ 2:24PM
AkaiWRX said...
Not "heavy" storywise? Weren't they criticized for being too "heavy" with The Matrix Reloaded?
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4-13-2007 @ 2:39PM
C C said...
I have to disagree with your statement that Speed Racer wasn't all that deep. Despite the cheap Japanese animation and cheesy dialogue, it had some substance. It was the only animated series I have seen that dealt with family dynamics. The Racer clan was far from functional. Pops was an overbearing father who had driven oldest son Rex away from home when he objected to Rex's racing dreams. And history was about to repeat itself when second oldest son Speed wanted to become a professional racer as well. Fortunately, Pops had learned his lesson after the loss of Rex, and relented. And Pops had designed this really cool car called the Mach 5, complete with James Bondish devices, for Speed to drive in competitions!
Of course, Rex, after leaving home, donned a mask, adopted the alias of "Racer X", and followed his bliss. Which included becoming a secret agent on the side. But when Speed began his racing career, and he was forced to engage with his estranged family, it became increasingly difficult to hide his identity, and hide the affection he still had for them. And with the special attention Racer X was giving Speed, Speed began to wonder if Racer X could be his long lost brother...
Very psychological, in my opinion.
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4-13-2007 @ 3:34PM
Anthony said...
I remember seeing list a while back of something along the lines of "Classic Movies Ruined by Remakes." ...Whether it be sequels, prequels, or remakes, leave this stuff alone.
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4-13-2007 @ 6:51PM
Kurifurisan said...
This could be done very well if the story carries the same emotional depth and creativity. I agree completely with #2's series synopsis. I myself am a huge Speed Racer fan so it'll be worth it for the chance for new merchandise to get released and for the chance to bring Speed Racer to a new generation of potential fans.
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4-13-2007 @ 7:15PM
Adam from TV Squad said...
Thanks for the insight, CC.
Adam
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4-13-2007 @ 10:40PM
Andy Grey said...
Next time, please put the part of the article that actually pertains to the headline, meaning the part saying who Ricci refers to for those who forget, so that we can get the basics of the story. Instead the portion of the article displayed on the page was a paragraph of random thoughts about the creators, the original cartoon, and Underdog. It would make things a whole lot more coherent.
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4-16-2007 @ 12:03AM
VSJ said...
I thought the brothers were busy making the Matrix prequel. Okay, so is Speed Racer also going to be a unnecessarily long 3 part movie?
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