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News
Joel Silver Explains Speed Racer Technology
Go, Joel Silver, go!
by Fred Topel | November 08, 2007
Discuss Article
Joel Silver is sort of the unofficial spokesman for the Wachowski Brothers. They never do press, even when their own movies are coming out, let alone during production. But producer Silver ushered the visionaries into Hollywood and explains their process whenever he can. With Speed Racer wrapping principal photography and onto the visual effects stage, Silver previewed the next new vision from the Matrix boys.

"The Wachowski Brothers really can't do anything easy," said Silver. "They want to make it as hard as they possibly can. So [Speed Racer is] has a look that you have never seen before. It's really a vast panorama of the story. There's going to be a trailer out at Christmas, and it's pretty spectacular. So you'll see it pretty soon."

Shot entirely on green screen, Speed Racer borrows less from the landmark 300 than it does from the Wachowskis' own previous effort. "There were a lot of green screen elements in the Matrix movies. There were a lot of things that were done in those films that were done in a very serious CGI format. This is even more advanced than that."

Specifically, getting the details of a general race track involves more elements than any bullet time scene or burly brawl they've done before. "Look at a movie like Ben-Hur. They took nine months to shoot that chariot race and they had to deal with the horses and the chariots and the crowds. Here's a movie that's made not even 50 years later, these big huge car races, huge crowds. And there are no cars, anyplace. It's all on the computer."

Speed Racer, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, and Susan Sarandon, hits theaters May 8, 2008


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Comments (1-20 of 38 posts) | Reply
Daniel Aaron
Daniel Aaron writes:
on Nov 08 2007 12:36 AM

:o

(Reply to this)
Daniel Aaron
Daniel Aaron writes:
on Nov 08 2007 12:40 AM

i was hoping for the shocked but happy happy face this guy looks a little tierd mabey his eyes are closed becuase he cant bear to watch the end of the race and doesnt know who is going to win:)

(Reply to this)
Metafact
Metafact writes:
on Nov 08 2007 12:55 AM

*shrugs* I'm just not that excited about this movie. Maybe it's because I was disappointed by The Matrix sequels, or because I was never a fan of the anime, I don't know.

All I know is, thinking about all the upcoming 2008 films I'm looking forward to, this isn't one of them.


(Reply to this)
MovieSamurai
MovieSamurai writes:
on Nov 08 2007 03:47 AM

I just wanna get a look at Susan Sarandon. Me-Ow

(Reply to this)
tHe LiviNg dEaD akaOMG
tHe LiviNg dEaD akaOMG writes:
on Nov 08 2007 04:42 AM

Wait...

I'm supposed to be excited by a movie that is centered around car racing, yet, involves no actual cars??? Am I the only one that is a tad disturbed by the current direction of big-budget Hollywood movies?

I just wish the dumb moviegoer would get over his/her obsession with ****ty CGI.

Peace. Love. Empathy.
XXX


(Reply to this)
HedRat
HedRat writes:
on Nov 08 2007 04:57 AM

To be fair, there were no REAL (as in actual-real-life) cars in the anime. Of course, any producer that says the entire movie will be green-screened only makes me think of Sky Captain - The Sequel.

(Reply to this)
jacog
jacog writes:
on Nov 08 2007 05:00 AM

Ahhh, Sky Captain... so much potential, but so little substance.

(Reply to this)
walkingdead09
walkingdead09 writes:
on Nov 08 2007 05:42 AM

As it pertains, I'm not a big fan of anime' but I was a fan of speedracer, so I don't care who makes the movie honestly, I'm looking forward to it, and if it sucks, well then that will be one more crappy movie I enjoy. I don't get wrapped up in who is making what, because there are movies made by great directors that I didn't care for, maybe because , "their vision" was over my head or something. Anyway i wonder if Chim Chim is going to be be CGI

(Reply to this)
StupidSmurf
StupidSmurf writes:
on Nov 08 2007 06:00 AM

As a kid, I wondered why Speed Racer had a G on his shirt, when there's no G in "Speed" or "Racer". All praise to Wikipedia for clearing that matter up.

I hope they have the weird sound effect from the anime for whenever the automatic jacks are used to make the car leap!

I'm not expecting high art from this movie, but it'd score major points with me if Speed ends up running over Chim-Chim.

Susan Sarandon is in this movie? BLARGH!

Will there be a bad guy? There has to be a bad guy! Maybe the Car Acrobatic Team?? Or Snake Oiler? Or maybe Skull Duggery? The choices are limitless!


(Reply to this)
dahluzz
dahluzz writes:
on Nov 08 2007 06:05 AM

thundercats will probly use robots for motion capture. who even needs humans!

(Reply to this)
Kollikodon
Kollikodon writes:
on Nov 08 2007 07:46 AM

... as with most adaptations, either going to suck... or be brilliant. But with the Wachowski Brothers name slapped on.. expect 150 million opening weekend.

(Reply to this)
Crenshaw
Crenshaw writes:
on Nov 08 2007 07:59 AM

Man I hope after the Big Race they all rip off half their clothes and start dancing. Those Matrix Raves were awesome. Ehem...

(Reply to this)
photosuperstar
photosuperstar writes:
on Nov 08 2007 08:26 AM

Lame. That's all I can say, Lame.

(Reply to this)
StupidSmurf
StupidSmurf writes:
on Nov 08 2007 08:30 AM

In reply to this comment (#1262318)
Well, yeah, there IS that...

I envision this movie as a Netflix rental, to be watched once the brain's been disconnected, and lots of beer in easy reach. :-)

No way in Hell I'd pay cinema admission prices to see this freak-out rendition of my childhood nostalgia!


(Reply to this)
Heath H.
Heath H. writes:
on Nov 08 2007 08:58 AM

In reply to this comment (#1262318)
Agreed, lame-lame-lame.

(Reply to this)
BlueMobius
BlueMobius writes:
on Nov 08 2007 09:36 AM

At its heart, Speedracer is really an anime about car racing and the development of its central character. Granted, the anime is wooden and the character development is fairly weak, but whenever one gets tired of the characters, there's a car race to focus on. It's pretty well-planned, IMHO.

Now, translate that to film, add some intensity (which the W Bros. will no doubt try to do) and you might have a real thriller. I think people expect some kind of lighthearted film from these guys but I'm not sure why we'd be led to think that. This film is going to be exciting, I have no doubt (the least we can expect is a two hour Star Wars Podrace which, I hope we all agree, was the only decent thing about Phantom Menace) and even if it's highly stylized and more or less animated, I'm there. After all, it's better than some cheap aimed-at-kids eighty minute cartoon splashed up on the screen that only the creepiest adults will go see! :)


(Reply to this)
buttamack
buttamack writes:
on Nov 08 2007 10:30 AM

In reply to this comment (#1261954)
dumb moviegoer? What makes them dumb? because they choose to be entertained?

(Reply to this)
stevegilpin
stevegilpin writes:
on Nov 08 2007 10:40 AM

This movie is going to be awesome. I really don't have doubts, even though I'm not a big Speed Racer fan....I just love the Wachowski Brothers.

(Reply to this)
herr_howard
herr_howard writes:
on Nov 08 2007 11:01 AM

Someone said Speed Racer was about car racing...seems to me Speed was solving some kind of mystery or crime every episode and usually did so around a car race.

What I would expect (and anticipate) is some hold-your-breath action sequences related to Speed, Trixie, et. al. getting into and out of tight jams...and of course when a car flies off the track, it will HAVE to explode in a huge, smoking, gaseous fireball :)


(Reply to this)
rgallitan
rgallitan writes:
on Nov 08 2007 11:15 AM

Does anybody else find the redundancy of the title amusing? I mean, SPEED Racer? What other kind is there? How about Water Swimmer, or Bullet-shooting Gunslinger?

I kid, of course. It's a fine title and rolls off the tongue very well. But still...


(Reply to this)
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