A Live Action Speed Racer

Producer Joel Silver has enlisted his Matrix creators, Larry and Andy Wachowski, to write and direct a big-screen, live-action version of the animated TV series Speed Racer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will be the duo's first directorial outing since completing the Silver-produced Matrix series in 2003. They are reuniting with several of the creative behind-the-scenes talents from the Matrix films, including executive producer Grant Hill and visual-effects supervisor John Gaeta, who won an Oscar for his work on The Matrix.

Based on the classic 1960s series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, which was retooled for North American audiences, the big-screen Speed will follow the adventures of the young race-car driver Speed in his quest for glory in his thundering gadget-laden vehicle, Mach 5. The movie will feature other characters from the show, including Speed's family and his mysterious archrival, Racer X.

Silver has been trying to get the film version off the ground since the early 1990s; in 2004, Vince Vaughn even pitched a take that cast him as Racer X. When Silver worked on V for Vendetta with the Wachowskis, he approached them about tackling the project. The duo were reluctant to do it unless they could figure out a way to bring something new to the table.