SPEED RACER, the live-action feature from the Wachowski brothers, now opens May 9, 2008, two weeks earlier than previously slated, thus avoiding a Memorial weekend showdown with INDIANA JONES 4 from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. In addition to opening wide domestically, the actioner from Warner Bros. Pictures will be released day-and-date in a majority of the international markets.
Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, SPEED RACER will follow the adventures of the young racecar driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thundering Mach 5. SPEED RACER is being written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, marking the brothers' first writing/directing collaboration since their groundbreaking MATRIX trilogy. The film is produced by Joel Silver under his Silver Pictures banner. John Gaeta, who worked on the MATRIX movies and received an Oscar for the first one, is visual effects supervisor.
"We have been excited about SPEED RACER since we first announced the project," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution, "We see it as a movie with broad-based, worldwide appeal--from adults to teens to families--making it the perfect film to lead off our exciting 2008 summer slate. We want to give SPEED RACER the maximum playability throughout the season, so moving it up to the earliest possible date made the most sense."
Added Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, president of international distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, "Opening SPEED RACER day-and-date with the U.S. in most international markets will not only allow audiences to see the film early but will maximize business before the start of the European Soccer Championships."
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
