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Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer, he's a demon on wheels.

Queasy

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Link - Mach 5 pic in the article

Emile Hirsch was 6 years old when he saw his first episode of the cartoon Speed Racer and, more important, caught a glimpse of the Mach 5.

"It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen," Hirsch says by phone from Germany, where filming will begin next week on the movie adaptation. "That's when I started thinking it would be great to be on TV. And have one of those."

Sixteen years later, he finally got behind the wheel of the speedster, which gets its first look here and will be at the heart of the film, due May 9, 2008.

"My first thought was, 'Yeah, they got the car right,' " he says. "That's one of the best things about the show, so it was always going to be one of the most important parts of the movie."

That and the return of Andy and Larry Wachowski, the brothers who are making their first directorial effort since The Matrix trilogy.

Like Hirsch, the brothers grew up on the popular 1960s Japanese cartoon about the adventures of a racing family ? and its pet chimpanzee, Chim Chim.

"The TV show was the brothers' introduction to Japanese animation," says Joel Silver, a friend of the press-shy Wachowskis and producer of Racer and the Matrix films. "They fell in love with the genre. They said they'd been making R-rated movies their whole lives and wanted to do something their nephews and nieces could watch."

The film, Silver says, will have a "retro future" look and will center on Speed (Hirsch) trying to make a name for himself in the racing world despite the efforts of corporate giants to foil his career. The film also stars Christina Ricci as girlfriend Trixie and Matthew Fox as Speed's older brother, Racer X.

Like the Matrix films and the Wachowski-produced V for Vendetta, Racer "has a lot to say about remaining independent and thinking for yourself," Hirsch says. "The brothers weren't just looking to do the TV show on film."

Unlike those darker movies, Racer "is going to be very bright, very family-friendly," Silver says. "And it will have great effects like TheMatrix, just with the car."

A car that will not see much time on pavement. The Mach 5 will be placed on a crane and most effects will be computer-generated.

One real effect, though: Chim Chim.

"They're using a real monkey," Hirsch says. "Just don't call him that. He's a chimpanzee. He gets upset if you call him a monkey."
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My favourite episode during the 60s was when they unearthed a car engine too powerful for human pilots to control. Pops know the engine. It was buried after causing pilot deaths but Speed Racer cannot resist the need for speed and gets tunnel vision if I remember correctly.
 
you young pups can't appreciate this film....

I can't wait....should be sweet special effects....

I grew up on this show...
 
Video of the Mach 5 being revealed with shots of the interior, etc.

SPEED RACER

From writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the groundbreaking ?The Matrix? trilogy, and producer Joel Silver comes the live-action, high-octane family adventure ?Speed Racer.?

Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized?the legendary Rex Racer?whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill.

Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed?s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company?s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret?some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won?t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line.

The only way for Speed to save his family?s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival?the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)?to win the race that had taken his brother?s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.

Slated for release on May 9, 2008, ?Speed Racer? marks the Wachowski brothers? first writing/directing collaboration since ?The Matrix? movies. Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowskis on ?The Matrix? movies and ?V For Vendetta,? is producing the film under his Silver Pictures banner.

The film stars Emile Hirsch (?Alpha Dog?) as Speed, Christina Ricci (?Black Snake Moan?) as Trixie, Matthew Fox (TV?s ?Lost?) as Racer X, and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (?Dead Man Walking?) and John Goodman (?Evan Almighty?) as Mom and Pops Racer. Rounding out the main cast are Australian actor Kick Gurry (?Spartan?) as Sparky; Paulie Litt (TV?s ?Hope & Faith?) as Sprittle; Roger Allam (?The Queen,? ?V For Vendetta?) as Royalton; and Asian music star Ji Hoon Jung (popularly known as Rain), making his major feature film debut as a rival driver.

Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the live-action ?Speed Racer? will showcase the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers? films.

?Speed Racer? is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production.
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Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
They had to steal the freeze and 180 degree camera pan from someone 😉

I loved that show as a kid.
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Yes but going back and watching it as an adult now....it is almost unwatchable. :laugh: It's hard to go back and see how painfully bad dialog and plots were for our beloved childhood cartoons. 🙂
 
haha man I loved that cartoon as a kid.. I loved how they had to explain RACER X's identity in every episode, as if kids had THAT short of an attention span.
 
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