Back in 2010, New Line/Warner Bros. announced they were developing a big screen, live-action/animated hybrid version of classic Looney Tunes character Speedy Gonzales, to be voiced by George Lopez. Now, Deadline is reporting that “The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico” is back on the fast track at Warners as a fully-animated feature film tentatively titled Speedy, with Mexican actor/director Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included) taking over the voice originated by Mel Blanc from 1953 to 1989.
“In Mexico we grew up watching Speedy Gonzalez,” Eugenio Derbez said. “He was like a superhero to us, or maybe more like a revolutionario like Simon Bolivar or Pacho Villa. He watched out for the little people but with a lot of bravado and a weakness for the ladies. I’m really excited to be bringing this character to the big screen. And besides being Mexican— my full name is Eugenio Derbez Gonzalez and I have big ears. The casting couldn’t be better.”
Dylan Sellers of Rivers Edge Films and Derbez and Ben Odell of 3pas Studios will produce, with Hank Nelken (Are We Done Yet?, Saving Silverman) scripting the story that is described as a “heist caper,” with both an English and Spanish-language version in the works.
“We see this as an origin story of the great master, like a Robin Hood character, who ultimately ends up taking from the rich and giving to the poor,” said Sellers. “In a time when Donald Trump is gaining momentum, the world needs Speedy more than ever.”
For many years, Gonzales was a figure of controversy for Warners, with many politically correct factions considering the character an offensive stereotype, despite his continued popularity in Latin America. Joe Dante even poked fun at Speedy becoming a pariah in a scene for 2004’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action. He has since made appearances in several Looney Tunes shows and video games, as well as commercials for Volkswagen and Virgin Media.
