Speed Racer
 

Anyone into this 60's classic about a young man trying be the best racer in the circuit?

Kinda have fond memories about it, and even today, it's still a good anime.

Just so you know, Warner Bros. is planning to make a Speed Racer movie aiming for a release in theaters in 2008, directed by the Wachowski brothers of Matrix fame.

Here's the link just in case:

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/2...658103100.html

With Christina Ricci on board, I'm definitely there.

OMG! I've definately got to see this next year!!! :bloogrin:
I didn't even hear that Susan and John Goodman were signed on for this film!

UPDATE!!
 

Two new stars have recently joined the Speed Racer cast:

Matthew Fox (TV's Lost) is in final negotiations to star as Racer X

Australian actor Kick Gurry (who starred in Garage Days directed by Alex Proyas of I, Robot fame) is in negotiations to star as Sparky

"go Speed Racer goooo!"

i'm game.

Mach 5 Car Revealed!
 

Producer Joel Silver and the cast were in Potsdam, Germany for a Speed Racer press conference, in which the Mach 5 car was revealed! Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCU6PhpD-CI

This movie seems to be very promising. I like it.

Okay, I didn't hear about this, but Paul Litowsky (TV's Hope & Faith) is cast as Spritle. Chim Chim will be a real chimp.

As of now, Speed Racer has finally begun filming! Wish them luck, folks! :frankiesmile:

I cannot wait to see how this turns out (or, more importantly, see the trailers for it)!

In the meantime, the official website is up and running! Here's the link:

http://www.speedracerthemovie.com

It includes a transcript and audio podcast of the entire press conference, video highlights from the conference and more!

Thanks for the information, frankie _fan. They're great, and I hope the movie does justice for the anime itself.

'You heard it here, first!' 8D

I'm just glad to help. I'm looking forward to this movie more than ever now.

My brother is obsessed, and I think we have every episode on DVD... Let's see if the movie is any good.

-Marty :goo:

Nothing news-worthy, but here's the car as it will appear in the film:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...er77/Mach5.jpg

Looks nice, doesn't it? :frankiesmile:

Ah... this is a good start. Hopefully, this *wonderful* Mach 5 is just the beginning of what's to come... I honestly can't wait.

-Marty :goo:

According to IMDB.com, post-production has begun.

Hey, Sparky. I know that you're going to Comic Con at San Diego, and I just couldn't help noticing that on Friday 27th July, the Warner Bros panel will be showing a sneak peek of Speed Racer!! :wiltshock:

If you're going to that panel, PLEASE let me know what's it like! I would love to see it!!!! :frankiesmile:

Here's proof:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=22099

Okay, according to IMDB, it's back to filming. I think someone made a mistake on IMDB and didn't know that it's still being filmed in the Berlin area of town. Either that or the directors (Larry and Andy) are switching between filming and post-production

Ahh... as much as I love IMDB, there are times when (like Wikipedia) I take its information with a grain of salt.

New Filming Technique Revealed!
 

Apparently, there's a new filming technique being used for Speed Racer. Collider chatted to Susan Sarandon (Mum Racer) about this use:

"They're using some high def thing that comes with guards and it's beyond anything I've ever... I saw 10 minutes before I left, they did a special thing for me cause they're just wrapping and having a party tonight, they were still working after I left. They're doing something where they're layering film so that the front and the back are in focus like a cartoon and they're also doing two dimensional and three dimensional stuff and mixing and everything is very, very saturated with some new kind of film, so they actually have to treat the actors in some way so we can hold our own with the background. So it's every color that wasn't in The Matrix is seriously in this film."

Ooooooooh, neat!!! I can't wait...

-Marty :goo:

This may come as a shock, or not. You decide:

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/09/0...s-are-no-more/

Wow, that was quite shocking indeed. I did not see that one coming at all. :wiltshock:

Still, that won't stop me from watching this movie.

Yeah. It's said that they won't talk about it until the movie has been and done, in case it hurts the family value of the film.

IGN.com got a chance to talk to Emile Hirsch about Speed Racer here:
http://au.movies.ign.com/articles/820/820481p1.html

I don't know if this is for real this time, but Speed Racer has wrapped filming. Post-production is now underway! Expect a teaser trailer soon (probably with Sweeney Todd or Bee Movie, but that's just my guess!). :frankiesmile:

EDIT - Speed Racer wrapped filming on August 25th

I'm a BIG Speed Racer fan. I've made a bunch of Speed Racer music videos too. I got all the episodes on DVD. A legendary anime indeed.

I just have to announce this. This is from WorstPreviews.com:

Sci Fi Wire attended a press conference, where producer Joel Silver spoke of the Wachowski brothers' upcoming "Speed Racer" film, revealing that the trailer is coming soon. "[It's] a wild ride," said Silver. "There's going to be a trailer out at Christmas, and it's pretty spectacular. So you'll see it pretty soon.." :frankiesmile:

According to MTV.com, the Wachowski's have purchased the rights to use the original sound effects and the trademark theme song from the cartoon.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/08/27...d-racer-theme/

I don't know if this is true, but I checked the IMDB forums for Speed Racer, and it's been posted that the first trailer for Speed Racer will premiere with The Golden Compass! If anyone is going to see The Golden Compass, PLEASE let me know what's it like!!

Did anyone watch ET recently? If not, it contained an exclusive interview with Matthew Fox on Speed Racer! Check it out:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=HlVZmzerbC4

It looks as though ET is doing Speed Racer week. Don't forget to check it out!

Has anyone been watching ET lately? This is Emile Hirsch and the Mach 5 in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq5nnmZXRL4

Am I just as excited as you guys are? :frankiesmile:

Here's Christina Ricci on Speed Racer:
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUuFXqgNM0

USA Today released a new article on Speed Racer, and contains NEW IMAGES of the film. It's absolutely mind-blowing:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...ed-racer_N.htm

Thanks for this new info, frankie_fan.

Those images from USA Today were great, and now, I'm definetly looking forward to this movie next year.

http://movies.aol.com/movie/speed-racer-2008/28066/main

Here it is, folks. The long awaited first trailer for Speed Racer... in glorious HD!!

I seriously now cannot wait for this to come!!! :frankiesmile:

For those who can't watch the trailer in HD, here's a better one:
http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer.php?id=401&item=0

I honestly was going to hate this movie, but when I saw the trailer I kind of got excited to see it. I loved watching the show when I was little and this gives me a little of the same feeling.

We have a poster, and it looks good:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...aserPoster.jpg

Link to official Quicktime trailer now available:
Http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/speedracer/

The LA Times has an article on Speed Racer, and explains how the anime style will be adopted for this movie:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...ck=1&cset=true

Marketing Line-Up
 

Variety is reporting that Speed Racer is going for a G rating. Because of this, Warner Bros has been able to enlist a lengthy lineup of promotional partners that will pony up at least $80 million in additional marketing support around the film. These include:

• General Mills stamping Speed Racer imagery on packaging of its cereals and other brands like Betty Crocker cookie mixes, Old El Paso Mexican foods and Fruit Gushers.
• LEGO creating four playsets based around the film.
• Target, which rarely does film promotions, coming aboard as the pic's official retail partner and, in addition to in-store ads and circulars, offering a gift card that enables consumers to access exclusive footage from the film.
• Puma designing Speed Racer-themed shoes.
• McDonald's offering separate Happy Meals for boys and girls.

Joel Silver says, 'You have to open big. You have to let them know you're out there. The only way to make a lot of noise is to have people shout from the rooftops. ('Speed Racer') was an opportunity to do something we've never done before.'