Comic Book Movies -- Speed Racer

April 14, 2008: The official Speed Racer website has been updated with the full International trailer and 7 new mini-cips. Check them out here.

March 19, 2008: Several new character posters have been released online and you can check them all out in our CBM Gallery!

March 10, 2008: 2 New International Trailers have been released and you can check them both out courtesy of SlashFilm.

December 17, 2007: Warner Bros. has released the official poster and opened up the official site! Click the poster on the left to head to our Speed Racer Gallery!

December 7, 2007: The official trailer is released. Check it out here!

December 6, 2007: Check out the very first Speed Racer pictures in our Speed Racer Image gallery. The pic are courtesy of USA Today, who landed the exclusive shots!

July 13, 2007: Nayo Wallace ("In Case of Emergency") has signed on to Warner Bros.' Speed Racer as Minx, the girlfriend of Racer X (Matthew Fox). The Wachowski brothers adaptation is filming in Ger-many. Wallace's credits include The Brothers, The Wood and "Sleeper Cell."

July 2, 2007: Richard Roundtree has joined Warner Bros. Pictures' Speed Racer, Larry and Andy Wachowski's live-action adaptation of the 1960s cartoon. Roundtree will play Ben Burns, a racer-turned-commentator who is an icon to the fans and a hero to Speed.

June 5, 2007: Scott Porter ("Friday Night Lights") has landed a role in Warner Bros.' Speed Racer, which starts filming this month in Berlin, reports Variety. Porter will play Rex [Spoiler AHEAD], the older brother to Speed Racer who fakes his death and returns as Racer X. [END Spoiler] Emile Hirsch plays the title role; the cast includes Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon. Andy and Larry Wachowski wrote and will direct the big screen adaptation. Porter recently completed a lead role in Screen Gems' Prom Night opposite Brittany Snow.

June 1, 2007: USA Today has released the very first shot of the Mach 5 car to be featured the upcoming Speed Racer film, click here to view it.

May 14, 2007: As reported on DarkHorizons: "South Korean pop music star Rain, the nemesis of freedom's most virile defender Stephen Colbert, is tipped to play a role in the Wachowski brothers action adventure film "Speed Racer." Rain will make his Hollywood debut in the film says one of his managers to IHT.Com who adds that negotiations are underway but certainly not yet complete. Rain, aka. Jung Ji-hoon, played a lead role in the 2006 South Korean film "I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK" directed by Park Chan-wook.

April 20, 2007: According to The Hollywood Reporter, TV's Matthew Fox is in final negotiations to star in Speed Racer, as the bad guy Racer X and would fit the filming in perfectly while "Lost" is on hiatus this summer. In another small bit of casting news, Australian actor Kick Gurry (GARAGE DAYS) will play Speed's buddy Sparky.

April 13, 2007: Christina Ricci has been set to star opposite Emile Hirsch in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' new action adventure Speed Racer. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. Ricci will play Trixie, Speed's loyal and courageous girlfriend, who also proves to be a formidable ally both on and off the racetrack. In making the announcement, Robinov stated, "Christina Ricci is a young actress of extraordinary range, who has become a favorite of both critics and audiences in a wide variety of movies, from mainstream features to acclaimed indie films. She is an amazing talent and we think she is going to do a great job with the role of Trixie." Slated to be released on May 9, 2008, Speed Racer also stars John Goodman and Susan Sarandon as Speed's devoted parents. The film is being written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, marking the brothers' first writing/directing collaboration since the "Matrix" movies. Joel Silver, who previously worked with the Wachowskis on both the "Matrix" movies and V For Vendetta, is producing the film under his Silver Pictures banner.

April 3, 2007: Susan Sarandon and John Goodman are in negotiations to play the parents of Emile Hirsch in the Wachowski brothers directed live-action version of "Speed Racer" says The Hollywood Reporter. Based on the classic 1960s anime series, "Speed" follows the adventures of young race car driver,and his quest for glory. The show revolved around Speed's family, and the Wachowskis are being selective about who they pick for those roles. Goodman is playing Pops, a race car owner and builder. Sarandon's character is the backbone of the family as well as the Mach 5 Go Racing Team. Casting is under way for the characters of Speed's girlfriend, Trixie, and his mysterious archrival, Racer X. Shooting begins in Germany this summer for a Summer 2008 release.

March 22, 2007: JoBlo reports: "According to Variety, [Emile] Hirsch is in final negotiations to star in the Wachowski's SPEED RACER, which is set to begin filming later this summer. You might remember Hirsch best from THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and he's done a great job since of playing the chameleon with parts in LORDS OF DOGTOWN and ALPHA DOG. The film's other main roles - Trixie and Racer X - have yet to be cast. The Wachowskis are planning on filming SPEED RACER a la 300, utilizing complete green screen backgrounds. Warner Bros. recently moved SPEED RACER up to May 9, 2008 to avoid a conflict with INDIANA JONES 4, which opens up on Memorial Day weekend. Hirsch can be seen next in the Sean Penn drama INTO THE WILD."

March 13, 2007: As reported on JoBlo: "Warner Bros. has moved SPEED RACER up two weeks to May 9, 2008 away from INDY 4. WB also announced it will open the film day-and-date across the globe, a move to avoid conflict with the European Football Championship. SPEED will now open against Fox's THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and one week after Paramount's IRON MAN. The Wachowski brothers are currently prepping the SPEED movie that would be shot almost entirely in front of green screens. Still no word on who's been cast as Speed, Trixie or Racer X in the remake but expect word from the studio soon as start of production is right around the corner."

November 18, 2006: According to 'DarkHorizons', Speed Racer is set for a May 23rd, 2008 release.

November 4, 2006: The Wachowski brothers are ready to return to directing after a post-MATRIX break and have signed with Warner Bros. to write and direct the long-in-development SPEED RACER movie. It will be a change of pace for the brothers who have previously directed R-rated, adult pics - SPEED is expected to be a PG family friendly film. The Wachowskis were brought onto the film while working on V FOR VENDETTA with Joel Silver who has held the rights to a SPEED RACER feature since the early 80s. A version almost got off the ground a few years back with Vince Vaughn co-starring. Also joining the Wachowskis and Silver are other MATRIX vets executive producer Grant Hill and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta, the latter of whom won an Oscar for his work. Silver noted that the Wachowskis are currently working on the script and designing a fresh approach to the racing sequences concurrently. Warner Bros. is currently scheduling the shoot for next summer with a 2008 release planned. Based on the classic 1960s series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida that later was retooled for North American audiences, the big-screen "Speed" will follow the adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thundering gadget-laden vehicle, Mach 5. The movie will feature other characters from the show, including Speed's family and his mysterious archrival, Racer X.