Warner Bros. Pictures And Village Roadshow Pictures Gives “Speed Racer” A Go

(October 31, 2006 - Burbank, CA) – “Speed Racer” is on a fast track to the big screen in an all-new, live-action feature film that will reunite the filmmaking team behind “The Matrix,” it was announced today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “Speed Racer” will be written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, marking the brothers’ first writing/directing collaboration since their groundbreaking “Matrix” movies. The film will be produced by Joel Silver. Currently slated for release in Summer 2008, “Speed Racer” will reteam the Wachowskis and Silver with several of the creative behind-the-scenes talent from “The Matrix” films, including executive producer Grant Hill, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta, who won an Oscar for his work on “The Matrix.” Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the big-screen “Speed Racer” will follow the adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thundering Mach 5. It will feature other characters that fans of the show will remember, including Speed’s family and his mysterious arch-rival, Racer X. The new high-octane actioner will combine the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers’ films, bringing “Speed Racer” into the 21st century. In making the announcement, Robinov stated, “We believe ‘Speed Racer’ will appeal to every audience demographic. In bringing this new adventure to the screen with state-of-the-art effects and a story for today’s audiences, we hope to thrill those who grew up with Speed and his Mach 5, while enticing a new generation of fans. There is no one better suited to accomplish that than the Wachowski brothers and Joel Silver.” “Speed Racer” will be a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures production.