BURBANK, Calif.-(Business Wire)-March 23, 2007
The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures
Robinov stated, "Emile Hirsch is one of today's fastest-rising young stars, which makes him the perfect choice to take the wheel of Speed's Mach 5. He continues to showcase his talents in a variety of challenging roles and we are thrilled to have him in the title role of 'Speed Racer.'"
Slated for release on May 9, 2008, "Speed Racer" is being written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, and produced by Joel Silver under his Silver Pictures banner. The film not only marks a reunion for the Wachowski brothers and Silver, who previously worked together on the "Matrix" movies and "V For Vendetta," but is the brothers' first writing/directing collaboration since the "Matrix" movies.
Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the live-action "Speed Racer" will follow the adventures of the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory on and off the track in his thundering Mach 5.