Noriko Takaya Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 If you guys haven't seen this yet: Vince Vaughn convinces Warner Bros to Green Light Speed RacerThis story is courtesy of Reuters. After a decade of false starts, Warner Bros. seems to be ready to give the Green Light to a live action adaptation of Speed Racer. Actor Vince Vaughn convinced WB to give the project another chance after pitching them a new idea for the franchise. Vaughn's Speed Racer would focus more on character and plot development than fast paced racing scenes that are much more expensive to produce. In addition to serving as executive director, Vaugh would also take the part of Racer X, Speed's long lost, mysterious older brother. Vaughn told Variety that he had "been a fan of the show since I was a kid and I always liked the theme of the protective older brother who can't reveal his identity," suggesting that the movie's script would revolve around the relationship between Speed Racer and Racer X. WB's live action adaptation of Speed Racer has been canned by the studio several times in the past. It had previously been attached to directors Gus Van Sant, Hype Williams, Alfonso Cuaron and Julien Temple. Temple even had Johnny Depp ready to star in the movie, but the project was cancelled because the racing-centric movie's budget was too high. The new movie's script has not yet been written (no script writer has been hired) and the cast has not yet been selected (excepting Vaughn). What? No racing? Man, that damned car is what made the show so cool when I was a kid. Hell, I even have one of the old Imai model kits of the Mach 5. However, I am kind of leery as to how Hollywood is going to handle this after the debacle that was The New Adventures of Speed Racer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JsARCLIGHT Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Vince Vaughn?!?!?! NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Vince Vaughn + Speed Racer + Live Action - Racecar action = me on clocktower with the PSG-1. There's Vince! BLAM! There he is again! BLAM! ... and again! BLAM! AAAarrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Click. uuuuggghhhhh... go to your calm place... go to the calm place... find your power animal... it can't be this bad... it can't be this bad.... sob... sob... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synch Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synch Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synch Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 (edited) KA-BOOM! Edited June 26, 2004 by Synch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Khyron_Prime Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Y'know, I love Speed Racer, and I realise that "Speed Racer" is pretty-much an American franchise by now, rather than a Japanese one--an icon in the view of American history--but people, you're gonna kill a classic, just like a previous post said, like "The New Adventures of Speed Racer." Good thing is...Remember how Warner Brothers was planning to make a live-action AKIRA movie? Whew! I'm glad that got canned, and frankly, for the good of the world's greatest racing icon, I hope that this one suffers the same fate, now and forever. PS- You can't mix "The Fast and the Furious" with the melodrama of "Titanic."--It don't work. Questions? I recall an Initial D manga title that read: "Girls and Cars Only Mix On The Covers of Magazines."--Word up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Leader Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 lol, we could also throw ourselves off cliffs with sharp rocks at the bottom, but some things just aren't cool (like this movie idea) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel's Fury Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Vince Vaughn=movie flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myk Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 This idea isn't any worse than the "new Speed Racer" of the mid 90's. Does anyone remember that attempt? They made Trixie into a blond, based the new Mach 5 off of a Camaro, etc. Speed Racer needs to stay in the past... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radd Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Speed Racer needs to stay in the past... Mach Go Go, and other classics need to remain in the hands of those who will treat them right. Want a good example? Check out the new Tetsujin 28 Go (Gigantor), Geneon will be bringing it out on DVD in the near future. That's an example of a new version of an old show done with the utmost care and respect instead of some idjits trying to cash in with a cheaply made, poorly executed "blockbuster hit". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwmwww Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 (edited) This idea isn't any worse than the "new Speed Racer" of the mid 90's. Does anyone remember that attempt? They made Trixie into a blond, based the new Mach 5 off of a Camaro, etc. Speed Racer needs to stay in the past... Yes, I remember it but was never able to bring myself to actually sit through an episode. Anyone remember this version on the Mach 5? Now that is one I actually liked. I haven't checked on it lately but I believe 1 or two episodes were actually translated into English. I think the pilot was called Speed Racer Y2K or something like that. Anyone know if the rest of that series is ever coming out on DVD in Japan? I'd love to SEE the rest of it even if it's not translated into English. Carl Edited June 26, 2004 by wwwmwww Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rogers Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Vince Vaughn=movie flop Does that include Dodgeball, which beat The Terminal with Tom Hanks & Catherine Zeta-Jones and directed by Steven Spielberg, for #1 last week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noriko Takaya Posted June 27, 2004 Author Share Posted June 27, 2004 This idea isn't any worse than the "new Speed Racer" of the mid 90's. Does anyone remember that attempt? They made Trixie into a blond, based the new Mach 5 off of a Camaro, etc. Speed Racer needs to stay in the past... As I stated before, the debacle that is The New Adventures of Speed Racer. And don't forget that that car could travel through time while Speed battled aliens and other villians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Khyron_Prime Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 I haven't checked on it lately but I believe 1 or two episodes were actually translated into English. I think the pilot was called Speed Racer Y2K or something like that. If I am correct in my perception, you're talking about the Mach Go Go Go series that was released around 1999. As far as I can recall, it was a four episode OVA that remained faithful to story and development while updating the artwork (well, 'modernising,' because 'updating' didn't involve Michi/Trixie getting a dye job!). Unfortunately, I've searched for it for a long time, and it seems to be impossible to get a hand-on. It makes me wonder why, considering that a lot of companies throw ANY animé series out in the USA nowadays, they haven't brought it over to the 'States. Oh, wait. Its 'cause Speed Racer Enterprises is the only one that can release it...And if they got new voice actors, it wouldn't be the same as the old Speed Racer... Wait! That makes sense! The moral of the story is: "Don't update Speed Racer." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwwmwww Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 (edited) If I am correct in my perception, you're talking about the Mach Go Go Go series that was released around 1999. As far as I can recall, it was a four episode OVA that remained faithful to story and development while updating the artwork (well, 'modernising,' because 'updating' didn't involve Michi/Trixie getting a dye job!). Unfortunately, I've searched for it for a long time, and it seems to be impossible to get a hand-on. It makes me wonder why, considering that a lot of companies throw ANY animé series out in the USA nowadays, they haven't brought it over to the 'States. I notice the pictures I posted above don't show up for me. Can everyone else see them ok? If not I'm attaching one here so you can see what I'm talking about. And yes what we are talking about I think is the same thing. However I was under the impression that there were quite a bit more then just 4 episodes. I believe it was meant to be a full series. I think the plug got pulled before the series was finsihed but I was under the impression maybe a dozen episodes had been released in Japan. Speed Racer Enterprises had transleated the pilot into English and did sell it on a CD which you could play on a PC. It also included the original Japanese opening and closing credits and I thought had some very brief info on the other episodes and there was a statement to the effect the others would be translated to English if there proved to be interest. I never heard much more about it from Speed Racer Enterprises. However it seems everything about this series is coming out in Japan except the series: Here is the diecast Mach 5: The sound track: The game boy game: Some cells: Just to name a few of the items that are up for auction on Yahoo Japan at the moment. I've seen line art, and even an art book for the series once that I wish I had gotten. I just want to see what there is of the series to see at this point. What I have seen I've liked. If anyone knows anything about this series or OVA coming out on DVD please let me know. Thanks, Carl Edited June 27, 2004 by wwwmwww Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dampiel Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Ah "Mach Go Go Go" yep Nickelodeon ran atleast the first two eps of that a few months back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel's Fury Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Vince Vaughn=movie flop Does that include Dodgeball, which beat The Terminal with Tom Hanks & Catherine Zeta-Jones and directed by Steven Spielberg, for #1 last week? Never liked that movie. Can't they come up with a better idea to make into a movie?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowlightman Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Here is the diecast Mach 5: Speed's helmet from this series looks oddly familiar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JValk Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 hollywood better not forget- speed racer is NOT the star of the show. the Mach 5 is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewilen Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 I'm going to play Devil's advocate and say that I've long thought that Speed Racer could make a good live action production. (Maybe better as a WB TV show than as a theatrical movie.) I also don't mind terribly the idea of Vince Vaughn as Racer X--though the only film I've seen him in is Old School, and it's a much deeper role than his character in that one. I do mind the idea of playing down the racing. I don't have much faith in Hollywood's ability to make a good movie out of the concept. But then again, 99% of everything is crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry the lone wolf Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 (edited) If I am correct in my perception, you're talking about the Mach Go Go Go series that was released around 1999. As far as I can recall, it was a four episode OVA that remained faithful to story and development while updating the artwork (well, 'modernising,' because 'updating' didn't involve Michi/Trixie getting a dye job!). Unfortunately, I've searched for it for a long time, and it seems to be impossible to get a hand-on. It makes me wonder why, considering that a lot of companies throw ANY animé series out in the USA nowadays, they haven't brought it over to the 'States. I notice the pictures I posted above don't show up for me. Can everyone else see them ok? If not I'm attaching one here so you can see what I'm talking about. And yes what we are talking about I think is the same thing. However I was under the impression that there were quite a bit more then just 4 episodes. I believe it was meant to be a full series. I think the plug got pulled before the series was finsihed but I was under the impression maybe a dozen episodes had been released in Japan. Speed Racer Enterprises had transleated the pilot into English and did sell it on a CD which you could play on a PC. It also included the original Japanese opening and closing credits and I thought had some very brief info on the other episodes and there was a statement to the effect the others would be translated to English if there proved to be interest. I never heard much more about it from Speed Racer Enterprises. However it seems everything about this series is coming out in Japan except the series: When it was on Nicklelodeon it was called Speed Racer X. The network ran more than a couple of episodes; sometimes they would have episodes back to back or marathon blocks. Edited June 28, 2004 by terry the lone wolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaine23 Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Heh... you guys are funny as hell. Seriously... someone please explain to me how a movie version of something you already liked does anything at all to change how you felt about the original? You guys don't like movie adaptions of anime? Don't go see them. Don't like Vince Vaughn? Don't go see him as Racer X. You like Speed Racer? Continue watching the original and playing with your Mach 5 toys. They could make a Macross movie starring the Olsen twins and I wouldn't care. It's not like they would destroy all copies of the existing anime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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