Gotta say, the casting of Emile Hirsch as the lead in the Wachowski brothers’ feature adaptation of Speed Racer doesn’t have me any more excited than I ever was for this flick. Hirsch recently played the role of Johnny Truelove in Universal’s Alpha Dog and not to any great acclaim. I would say when you are overshadowed by ex-boy bander Justin Timberlake you really aren’t pulling your weight. However, that isn’t stopping the Wizz-i-Wachowskis from casting him in their first film since the Matrix trilogy came to a close.
Speed Racer is based on the 1960s Japanese cartoon series by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. The film will follow the adventures of the youthful Speed (Hirsch) as he tries to obtain victory in his tricked-out Mach 5 racecar, built by his father.
Speed is often bailed out of danger by Racer X, a rival with a mysterious connection to Speed.
The pic is set to begin production this summer with an international day-and-date release set for May 9, 2008.
