Speed Racer
News

It's the next big movie on the summer film docket.

But will Speed Racer follow in the record-breaking footsteps of Iron Man? The following reviews might go a long way toward determining that...

- The Wachowskis have created a blast of pure pop family fun; Speed Racer's a bright, bold visual spectacle designed for kids... -- Cinematical

- Unlike a Pixar cartoon that embraces as wide an audience as possible, Speed Racer proudly denies entry into its ultra-bright world to all but gamers, fanboys and anime enthusiasts... -- The Hollywood Reporter

- Imagine someone pouring hot, melted Starburst candies into your corneas, and you just begin to approximate the experience of Speed Racer, an ice-cream headache of a movie that just keeps piling on the unnatural colors... -- MSNBC

- Pure cotton candy -- entirely non-nutritious but too sweet and pretty for young people to resist... -- Variety

With Iron Man having left its impressive mark on the movie world this past weekend, the next big film on the horizon is Speed Racer. It opens on Friday.

Below, star Emile Hirsch talks with ComingSoon.net about filming such a special effects-oriented adventure...

CS: Were you loving the green screen experience? John Goodman said it was like working in low-budget theater.

Hirsch: That's funny. That's pretty funny. He's right. There are no sets or props. It's like your doing "Waiting for Godot" or something.

CS: What are your memories of it?
Hirsch: Just kind of this green wall, talking to it, thinking about it. What was really weird was doing the car scenes because we did it on a hydraulic pump called a gimbal. All of my anger in the film is so authentic because they were just slamming me around in the simulator for hours. It was green and hot and there are lights on you and you can't move because you're strapped in.

You get literally frustrated to the point where you want to rip the thing apart with a bat, and arrrggh. I think I have a drawing of me breaking it. I'm serious. All the scenes where I'm like arrrggh, it's just me. Imagine if it was comfortable and I was happy, I'd be like, "Hey, guys, get out of my way" (smiling).

Read the full interview with Hirsch now.

Matthew Fox recently spoke with Movies Online about his role in Speed Racer. The Lost star will portray Racer X.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

What attracted you to this project?
Matthew Fox: The Wachowski brothers. That was the first way into the project was meeting them and hearing their thoughts on what they wanted to try to accomplish in the movie, and one of the first things that they said was that they wanted to make a movie that their nieces and nephews could see, and they had never really done anything like that.

They wanted to make a family movie and that really hit a chord with me. I have kids and I haven't done anything that I would feel comfortable for them to really watch. And then, you know, I went and did some research on the original source material, and I had definitely seen those images. I recognized them.

They were familiar to me but I don't think I'd ever really seen an episode, so I went out and got a bunch of those and watched a bunch of episodes and got a feel for what made that series in the 1960's so catchy, and then the script.

Larry and Andy wrote a script that I thought was just absolutely amazing, just all those elements. It was really the only project that I wanted to be in. I was looking at a few things last spring, but the minute I met with Larry and Andy and started going down the Racer X route, and Speed Racer, I didn't want to do anything else. And I pretty much said, "If I don't get this role, I'm not going to work this hiatus."

Christina Ricci recently spoke on her experience working with the Wachowski Brothers on Speed Racer. Specifically, the actress commented on the possibility of a sequel to the film that opens on May 9

"Larry and Andy created a world that they love and created characters that they loved and are attached to. When we were all leaving, we were like 'write the sequel!' 'We want to come back'. And they were like, 'I know. I know. We're going to. Don't worry'. They were as sad for it to be over as we were."

Ricci seemed more than just excited about the possibility of Speed Racer 2; she was confident the project would, indeed, happen.

"Yeah, definitely. Yes, that's definitely the impression I got [from the Wachowski Brothers]," she said.

In closing, the actress was coy about how many sequels there may be in her future.

"I don't know. You don't have to sign up for them. It's more like if this movie does well, they'll make another one. But, I'm not really sure. I don't pay attention to that stuff."

Check out the following Speed Racer thumbnails now. Click on each one for a larger version...

Speed Racer doesn't come out until May 9 - but does that mean it's too early to discuss the possibility of a sequel?

Of course not!

In an interview with Collider, producer Joel Silver talked about working with the Wachowski Brothers again on a follow-up to what is sure to be a blockbuster this spring:

Look, they have a great story idea for a sequel to [Speed Racer], we have a great idea for a sequel if it makes sense to make it... We're having a good time. I love working with them and it's a great joy to have them in my life.

They're smart and funny and they love the kind of movies I love and they know how to make them like no one else. I look at this movie and can't believe we created it. I can't believe it exists.

Matthew Fox has already enjoyed the action figure treatment, courtesy of his role on Lost.

Now, when Speed Racer is released May 9, it will open up a new series of marketing opportunities for Fox and his character, Racer X. First up: an appearance in a Lego playset. Check it out:

Check out other Lego-related characters from Speed Racer now.

Lost in the excitement for other big films coming out this spring and summer - such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Iron Man - is Speed Racer.

The Emile Hirsch vehicle comes out on May 9. It also stars Matthew Fox and Christina Ricci, each pictured below. Check out new photos from Speed Racer now:

Among the major movies coming out this summer and next summer are The Dark Knight and Speed Racer. While you can watch the trailers for them now and check out various news items about the flicks, we know what many readers care about:

Toys!

Thanks to ComingSoon.net, here's a look at a couple of toys from these upcoming blockbusters:

Speed Racer, which opens on May 9, is targeting a G rating, reports Comingsoon.net and Variety. Need proof? Just check out the marketing deals the studio has lined up as promotional partners.

"You have to open big," producer Joel Silver said of Speed Racer says. "You have to let them know you're out there. The only way to make a lot of noise is to have people shout from the rooftops. ('Speed Racer') was an opportunity to do something we've never done before."

The marketing line-up includes:

- General Mills stamping Speed Racer imagery on packaging of its cereals and other brands like Betty Crocker cookie mixes, Old El Paso Mexican foods and Fruit Gushers.

- LEGO creating four playsets based around the film.

- Target, which rarely does film promotions, coming aboard as the pic's official retail partner and, in addition to in-store ads and circulars, offering a gift card that enables consumers to access exclusive footage from the film;

- Puma designing Speed Racer-themed shoes;

- McDonald's offering separate Happy Meals for boys and girls.

Television fans can't wait to see Matthew Fox return to the small screen on Lost (coming back January 31!).

But movies fans and comic book fans are also excited to see this actor portray Racer X in the upcoming Speed Racer movie. Fox recently discussed the role.

"When I found out that the Wachowskis were doing Speed Racer and were interested in me for it, I immediately went on the Internet, and as soon as I saw Racer X, I was like, I think that looks like me," Fox said. "I kinda think I would be a good Racer X. [Laughs] So then I was like, Dammit, I'm going to win this role! I went and read for it, and then waited quite a while."

The actor added that "Racer X is all about mystery. And it's all about not just disguise of suit, but it's disguise of voice â€" he's, like, impenetrable."

Fox also said he did all his own stunt work, something many actors cannot claim.

"I'm proud I did it all. They didn't double me. The stunt guys were like, 'We think you can do everything. Do you want to do everything?' 'Damn right I want to do everything. I want to do everything to the point where you think it looks like crap," he said.

"That's when I need you to step in and help me out.' [During] some of it I was just dying. I would do these fight sequences in this leather thing, and the amount of sweat was extraordinary. I was coming home ultra-dehydrated."