Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer, he’s a demon on wheels! And now he’s a demon on wheels who is getting a brand new animated series courtesy of Tatsunoko Production. The production company confirmed that they are developing a new Speed Racer series for a “modern audience” in the art licensing magazine Total Licensing, according to a new report from Anime News Network.
Though details about the series are relatively scant at this time, Tatsunoko also confirmed that they are introducing a new licensing program to reintroduce audiences to the series, as well as making episodes available in high definition for the first time ever. For those unfamiliar with the series, what’s your major malfunction? The 1967-68 anime series–titled Mach Go Go Go in Japan–follows the adrenaline-fueled automotive exploits of Speed Racer, a racecar driver who always manages to wind up in life-threatening situations while cruising around in his badass whip, the Mach 5. Alongside his girlfriend Trixie, his parents, his younger brother Spritle, a pet chimpanzee named Chim-Chim, and the timely intervention of the mysterious Racer X (secretly Speed’s older brother), our hero manages to cross the finish line with life and limb intact. Basically, it’s The Fast and the Furious but with 100 percent more pet chimpanzee.
This isn’t the first time that Speed Racer has been rebooted and repackaged. In 1997, it was partially remade as Speed Racer X, and a series of shorts under the title of Mach Girl appeared in 2008. Also in 2008, Lionsgate created Speed Race: The Next Generation with New York-based studio Animation Collective, and the Wachowskis directed a live-action film adaptation, which Nerdist News head writer Ben Mekler will tell you is the greatest achievement in modern cinema. However, now that the global licensing rights have reverted to Tatsunoko Productions, the studio is back in the garage, tinkering under the hood, and getting ready to reimagine the Mach 5 as a sleek new Toyota Prius with an industry-leading MPG rating of 51 city / 48 highway. Okay, not really, but what if, you guys?
What would you like to see from a new Speed Racer series? Let me know in the comments below.
[HT: Anime News Network]
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. You can follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).
