Speed Racer managed to escape my limited attention span when I was growing up. There has been a bit of a cult revival in the popularity of this show with the release of the Complete Speed Racer series on DVD as well as some cameo appearances in a VW Commericial and a Geico Insurance ad
Susan Sarandon and John Goodman are in negotiations to play the parents of Emile Hirsch in “Speed Racer,” the live-action version of the anime cartoon being directed by “Matrix” creators Larry and Andy Wachowski.
Based on the classic 1960s series that was created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida and retooled for North American audiences, “Speed” follows the adventures of young race car driver, Speed (Hirsch), and his quest for glory in his thundering, gadget-laden vehicle Mach 5.
I also found a clip of Emile Hirsch (Girl Next Door) talking about getting the role, and the guy is like a kid in a candy store.
With the Wachowski’s behind this we know that it is not going to be as campy and hokey as the original. Likely very dark, super futuristic, and probably packed with some serious action.
From the clips I have seen, the outspoken “big guy” mechanic dad could EASILY be Goodman. I would look forward to that. Sarandon as the mom is cool too.
I wasn’t a fan of the original, but with this team behind it, I cannot wait to see what they do with it.
