Speed Racer Developing New Apple TV+ Series With J.J. Abrams
Speed Racer is at it again! After making a big-screen debut in Hollywood years ago, the hit anime is ready to shift into gear once more but for Apple TV+ this time. J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot is working on a live-action TV series based on Speed Racer, and it promises to put a new spin on everyone's favorite thrill seeker.
As Deadline reports, this Apple TV+ project will not tie into Hollywood's previous adaptation of Speed Racer. This new series will shift focus under writers Hiram Martinez (Snowpiercer) and Ron Fitzgerald (Westworld). The report suggests a writers room is now being filled for the project. Martinez and Fitzgerald will lead the group as executive producers and co-showrunners to boot.
If you are not familiar with Speed Racer, the franchise got its start in Japan way back in 1966. The show, which goes by GoGoGo overseas, was the brainchild of Tatsuo Yoshida and became one of anime's first successes in western pop culture. The anime launched in America around 1967, and by the mid-1990s, Speed Racer had made its way back to the United States with reboots and sequels galore.
Of course, some will be familiar with Speed Racer's previous run through Hollywood. In 2008, the Wachowskis gave the 1960s series a live-action facelift with help from Warner Bros. Pictures. Starring Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci, the adaptation floundered at the box office after raking in $93 million USD on a $120 million budget. However, in recent years, the adaptation has amassed a cult following that's given Speed Racer new life.
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As for this Apple TV+ adaptation, little is known about it at this time. Bad Robot plans to make this series yet another part of its growing catalog of Apple Originals. So, let's all huddle in and sing it together... "Go, Speed Racer! Go, Speed Racer, Go!!"
What do you think of this new report? Do you feel like Speed Racer is ready to take another lap around Hollywood? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.