Speed Racer is a 2008 American sports action-comedy film written and directed by The Wachowski Brothersnote and based on the 1960s Japanese anime and manga series of the same name. The film stars Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Roger Allam, Benno Fürmann, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rain and Richard Roundtree. Its plot revolves around Speed Racer, an 18-year-old automobile racer who follows his apparently deceased brother's career. His choice to remain loyal to his family and their company Racer Motors causes difficulties after he refuses a contract offered by E.P. Arnold Royalton, the owner of Royalton Industries.
The film had been in development since 1992, changing actors, writers, and directors until 2006, when producer Joel Silver and the Wachowskis collaborated to begin production on Speed Racer as a family film. Speed Racer was shot between early June and late August 2007 in and around Potsdam and Berlin, with an estimated budget of $120 million. Its score was composed by Michael Giacchino, and the film's soundtrack, which contains the sound effects and theme song from the original series, was released on May 6, 2008.
Speed Racer premiered on April 26, 2008 at the Nokia Theater, and was released in regular theaters in North America on May 9, 2008. The film was considered a box office bomb due to only grossing $93 million worldwide on its $120 million budget plus marketing. It was subsequently nominated in multiple categories at the Teen Choice Awards, and was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards. The film received generally negative reviews by the time of its release; it was criticized for its storyline, characters, dialogue, and critics were mixed with the use of special effects, but received praise for its capacity to entertain the target audience and the performance of its cast. Years later, however, the film received more praise, with some commentators calling it an "underrated" film.
