SPEED RACER Reboot Coming at Mach 5!
Art licensing magazine Total Licensing has reported in its summer issue that a new Speed Racer for a “modern audience” is on the way.
Anime News Network has confirmed that Tatsunoko Production is developing the new series Mach Go Go Go along with a new licensing program to reintroduce the property. And for the first time, episodes will be in high definition.
The original Mach Go Go Go was licensed and distributed in the United States by Trans-Lux under the title Speed Racer — the original anime from Tatsunoko itself an adaptation of the manga that was originally serialized in print in Shueisha’s 1958 Shōnen Book. The manga was created and designed by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida.
From Wikipedia:
The name of the series, Mach GoGoGo has a triple meaning: “Mach-gō” is the name of the car; the name of the main character is Gō Mifune; and finally, it contains the English word, go. In the American adaptation, the Mach 5 stems from go being the Japanese word for the number 5; also, Gō Mifune became Speed Racer. In addition, gogogo, is used as a general Japanese sound effect for rumble. Taken together, the program’s title means, “Mach-gō, Gō Mifune, Go!”. In the American version, this would translate into “Go, Speed Racer, Go!”
Which is why Speed Racer has a G on his shirt…
Worldwide rights for the intellectual property reverted back to Tatsunoko in 2012 following a lawsuit in which Tatsunoko filed lawsuits against Speed Racer Enterprises to enforce the license reversion that was set to happen the previous year. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2014 after both parties reached an agreement for future licensing and exploitation for the IP to go through Tatsunoko.
The first live-action adaptation of Speed Racer was produced in 2008, with the Wachowskis directing. The project received negative reviews, roundly criticized over story, characters, and dialogue; at the same time, it garnered positive feedback over its innovative use of visual effects.
No word on production staff, cast, or story yet. But we can hazard a guess that we’ll see the mysterious Racer X…
