Speed Racer to Get Simultaneous IMAX and Theatrical Release

IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Speed Racer, the action-packed adventure from the creators of The Matrix trilogy, will be simultaneously released to IMAX and conventional theatres on May 9, 2008. Speed Racer, based on the hit anime series created by Tatsuo Yoshida, is written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers. The film will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. Warner Bros. Pictures will be the exclusive distributor of the film to IMAX theatres worldwide.

"Speed Racer combines riveting action with stunning special effects, making it an ideal choice for IMAX's format," said Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. "We are delighted to release the film to IMAX theatres, where audiences can experience the next best thing to actually sitting in the driver's seat during this high speed adventure."

"Speed Racer is a fantastic addition to our 2008 film slate, and we are very pleased to welcome The Wachowski Brothers back to the world of IMAX," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "The unique vision of these talented filmmakers has always been well suited to IMAX's format, and we're more than excited to be a part of this release."

"Speed Racer has all the elements for a powerful IMAX experience, with its broad appeal and spectacular effects," said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. "We are excited to be exhibiting the film internationally in this unique format."

"Audiences will experience an incredible thrill ride when they see Speed Racer in IMAX theatres this May," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "Warner Bros Pictures, The Wachowski Brothers and Joel Silver are masters at telling stories specifically for the big IMAX screen, and with up to 14,000 watts of digital surround sound combined with crystal-clear, larger than life images, this movie and IMAX are made for each other." (source)

Tarnished by past, Babelsberg looks to brighter future

The Wachowski Brothers are busy finishing up the final touches to Speed Racer after shooting the movie in front of green screens at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam. This legendary studio flourished during the early part of the 20th Century thanks to a vibrant film production and stars like Marlene Dietrich.

It didn't take long to rocket Dietrich to international stardom, and she soon left for Hollywood. But the Potsdam studio she left behind soon lost its glitter. When Adolf Hitler came on the scene, Babelsberg devolved into his personal propaganda machine. Under communist East Germany, the studio had flashes of brilliance, but when the Berlin Wall fell and the studio came under private ownership, the losses mounted.

But in less than a year, Studio Babelsberg has made a comeback worthy of its star-studded past. With new management - and generous government subsidies that cover up to 20 percent of a filmmaker's costs - the studio is confidently looking ahead as it celebrates its 95th anniversary.

By the end of December, the studio will have hosted 11 films, including two big-budget Hollywood films shot simultaneously: Tom Cruise's Valkyrie, the World War II biopic of Count Claus von Stauffenberg's 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler, and the Wachowski brothers' star-packed flick Speed Racer. (...continue article)

Speed Racer Toys To Be Licensed By Mattel

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. "

Speed Racer Using Revolutionary Full Focus Cameras

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]