Speed Racer

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer
  • Nicholas Elia as a young Speed Racer
• Christina Ricci as Trixie, Speed’s girlfriend.
  • Ariel Winter as young Trixie
• John Goodman as Pops Racer, Speed’s father
• Susan Sarandon as Mom Racer, Speed’s mother
• Matthew Fox as Racer X, a mysterious masked racer tasked with exposing the corruption undermining the WRL.
• Roger Allam as E.P. Arnold Royalton, the corrupt owner and CEO of Royalton Industries
• Paulie Litt as Spritle Racer, Speed’s younger brother
• Benno Fürmann as Inspector Detector, head of the Corporate Crimes Division, Central Intelligence Bureau
• Hiroyuki Sanada as Mr. Musha, president and CEO of Musha Motors
• Rain as Taejo Togokahn, a rookie racer
• Richard Roundtree as Ben Burns, a race commentator and former racing champion
• Kick Gurry as Sparky, Speed’s mechanic and best friend
• John Benfield as Cruncher Block, a professional race fixer and gang leader
• Christian Oliver as Snake Oiler, a shady racer who wears snakeskin racing clothes
• Ralph Herforth as Jack “Cannonball” Taylor, a superstar racer, 5-time WRL champion, 2-time Grand Prix winner, and future hall of famer sponsored by Royalton Industries
• Scott Porter as Rex Racer, Speed Racer’s older brother and idol presumed to have been killed in a race
• Yu Nan as Horuko Togokahn, Taejo Togokhan’s sister
• Nayo K. Wallace as Minx, a scientist and Racer X’s girlfriend
• Melvil Poupaud as Johnny ‘”Goodboy'” Jones, a race commentator
• Ramon Tikaram as Casa Cristo Announcer
• Ben Miles as Cass Jones
• Peter Fernandez as Local Announcer
• Cosma Shiva Hagen as Jeannie
• Moritz Bleibtreu as Gray Ghost, a French racer for Eccran Establishment tasked with eliminating Speed
• Karl Yune as Taejo’s Bodyguard
• Joon Park as Kakkoi Teppodama, a Japanese racer for Musha Motors tasked with taking out Speed at the Grand Prix for a million dollars. He is credited as “Yakuza Driver” in the end credits.
• Togo Igawa as Tetsua Togokahn, Taejo, and Horuko’s father, and a corporate rival to both Royalton and Musha
• Chim Chim, Spritle’s pet chimpanzee and best friend is portrayed by two chimpanzees: “Kenzie” and “Willy”.

Storyline:

The story revolves around Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), an 18-year-old automobile racer who is determined to follow in the footsteps of his deceased brother, Rex Racer. Speed remains loyal to his family and their company, Racer Motors, which leads to conflicts when he refuses a lucrative contract from E.P. Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam), the owner of Royalton Industries.

About Movie:

Speed Racer is a sports action comedy film written and directed by the Wachowskis, based on the manga series created by Tatsuo Yoshida. The film features an ensemble cast including Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Roger Allam, Benno Fürmann, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rain, and Richard Roundtree.

Production Details

The concept for a live-action Speed Racer film had been in development since 1992, going through various actors and filmmakers before production finally began in 2006 under producer Joel Silver and the Wachowskis. Filming took place in and around Potsdam and Berlin from June to August 2007.

Release and Reception

Speed Racer premiered on April 26, 2008, at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles and was released in the United States on May 9, 2008, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its action sequences, musical score, cinematography, and performances but were divided on its heavy use of CGI and criticized its screenplay and runtime. The film grossed approximately $93.9 million worldwide against a production budget of $120 million. It was nominated for multiple categories at the Teen Choice Awards as well as the Golden Raspberry Awards.

Legacy

In subsequent years, Speed Racer has garnered a strong cult following among filmmakers and audiences, appreciated for its unique visual style and ambitious storytelling.

Budget & Box Office Collection: