I've been posting a lot about the upcoming Speed Racer movie, but so far it's mostly been casting news and not a lot of information on what the actual movie will look like.
Of course, we've been able to venture some guesses as to what we might expect, since the movie is being helmed by Matrix creators Larry and Andy Wachowski.
It's not a movie clip, which would be impossible since the movie hasn't begun shooting yet, but USA Today does have a picture of the Mach 5 that will be used in the movie. The car is part of the "retro future" look the Wachowski's are hoping to achieve with this live-action version of the popular cartoon.
As I wrote before, Speed will be played by Emile Hirsch, Trixie by Christina Ricci, Racer X by Matthew Fox, and Speed's parents by John Goodman and Susan Sarandon. I'd like to see the characters played by Japanese actors and then dubbed by the aforementioned American actors, just to make it more like the animated series, but apparently no one thought to ask me.
Oh yeah, and Chim Chim the monkey will be played by an actual chimp.
The movie comes out May 9, 2008.
NOTE: Somehow invisible Web forces deleted part of my original post, and I did not realize this until later, obviously. Sorry to leave everyone hangin'.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-31-2007 @ 2:57PM
Ralph said...
What's the source? This looks a lot like the Mach 5 that was being sold some years ago by a Cali firm that was putting a new body on a Corvette chassis.
Of course, I'll be ecstatic if this is an actual picture of the film's Mach 5. I've always said they can fark around with just about every element of the show, but do *not* touch the design of the Mach 5.
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5-31-2007 @ 3:18PM
C C said...
If that photo of the movie Mach 5 is legit, it looks like the Wachowskis are making a sincere effort to remain true to the original series.
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5-31-2007 @ 3:46PM
Richard Ott said...
If that's not the official Mach 5 car design for the Speed
Racer movie, it should be more based on the concept of
Fox's short-lived Saturday Morning series, "The New
Speed Racer", but still keep the same functions of the
original car. It needs more blue and yellow paint to not
blend in with Speed Racer's uniform so much, you can't
see him, but keep the same classic formula that made
the anime series a success, both here and in Japan. If
this film ever gets finished, I'll watch all 65 episodes,
including The New Speed Racer 13-episode series (but
not the 2001 series from Nickelodeon), until the movie is
released in theaters. I have the original Speed on DVD,
but The 1993 series isn't available yet.
Reply
5-31-2007 @ 3:54PM
Jason said...
Re: Source - That picture is in today's USA Today
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12-08-2007 @ 5:37PM
smitty said...
Speed Racer was one of my favorite shows growing up; the car in the 2008 movie is awesome; however, John Goodman is a pathetic, pathetic actor; i can tell just by the trailer that he has ruined this show. George Wendt would have been better. Goodman has no humility, not to mention he was with the low, low-class disgusting Rosanne Barr; thus he learned nothing, and it is a shame; this show could have been great. Pop Racer was a serious man. Goodman not only messed up Fred Flinstone, which should have been John Candy, now he is messing up Pop Racer; stop Goodman; your weight cannot save you on this one.
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