Apple TV+ Orders Live Action ‘Speed Racer’

If you are of a certain age, you will remember 1960s Japanese anime classic “Speed Racer”, which was set in the world of auto racing. Apple TV+ has ordered a live action version of the series from J.J. Abrams under his Bad Robot production company. “Speed Racer” follows the adventure of auto racer Speed Racer and his souped up car, the Mach 5. His team consists of his father and car builder Pops Racer, his little brother Spritle and his pet chimpanzee Chim-Chim, and Speed’s girlfriend Trixie. Speed also frequently crosses paths with the mysterious Racer X, who is secretly Speed’s older brother Rex Racer.

“Speed Racer” first launched as a manga series titled “Mach GoGoGo” by Tatsuo Yoshida in 1966. Trans-Lux acquired syndication rights and “Speed Racer” was adapted into anime by Tatsunoko Productions, which aired on Japan’s Fuji TV from 1967-68 and eventually in U.S. syndication.

The series morphed into a comic book series and a merchandising bonanza, and was reimagined as “The New Adventures of Speed Racer” in 1993, It was followed in 2008 by “Speed Racer: The Next Generation”, which was released on Nicktoons and later revived on MTV, Cartoon Network and Boomerang. In 2008, it returned as a feature film.