Collect.com reports Mattel has won the licensing contest for Warner Bros. Speed Racer. The license includes "virtually all product lines, including vehicles, action figures, remote-control vehicles and more." [more]
"Mattel will tap into the action, characters and storyline to bring the film to life across a broad number of their product lines. With Speed’s Mach 5 leading the way, Hot Wheels will feature a wide assortment of die-cast vehicles, race sets and track sets based on the film. Tyco, the leading remote control vehicle brand, will put kids behind the wheel of the Mach 5 with r/c vehicles and racing sets. "
It has been revealed that the Wachowski Brothers have purchased the rights to the sound effects used in the Speed Racer cartoon, and confirmed that they will be using the trademark theme song. [details]
The choice of making Speed Racer into a full-length feature film seems like an odd choice by the Wachowski Brothers.
The Brothers have quite the resume when it comes to bringing the new and exciting films to the screen. Their subject matter is always enriched with detail and struggles and they have a talent when it comes to creating digital effects.
So, what will the Brothers bring to the table for Speed Racer, a Japanese anime from the 1960's?
Seems like the guys are hard at work at utilizing a state-of-the-art camera system to replicate the anime-style of the world of Speed Racer.
Susan Sarandon confirmed that the camera system they are using will have layered film so that both the front and back are in focus like a cartoon. Holy shit, yep that's what she just said!
"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. "
Supposedly they (The Wachowski's) were going to make the entire frame always in focus… like a cartoon. I had heard that the reason for the long filming process was not due to the extensive blue screen work, but due to this new look that they were going for. [ ...more]
A more detailed clip of the news conference for the Speed Racer movie. The cast gets introduced along with their characters as well as the emphasis of CG animation for the production of the film.
The June 2007 news conference that unveils the cast and Mach 5 of the movie. Joel Silver, Producer, explains the need for the Wachowskis to make a more 'family' oriented film.
From writer/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the groundbreaking “The Matrix” trilogy, and producer Joel Silver comes the live-action, high-octane family adventure “Speed Racer.”
The famous cartoon goes live action as Speed and his friends and family face off against the biggest race of Speed's career.
Action. Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized-the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret-some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits.
If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival-the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)-to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
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