New SPEED RACER Series In Development
According to the global art licensing magazine Total Licensing (via: Anime News Network), Tatsunoko Productions is developing a new Speed Racer series that will be targeted for a "modern audience."
The news was confirmed by the production company, and they are also planning a new licensing program to reintroduce the property. They didn't offer any details on the new series, including whether or not it will be live-action, traditionally animated, or CG animated. If it's going to be targeted toward a modern audience, I imagine it will be developed using CG animation.
The original car-racing anime aired in 1967-68 under the name Mach Go Go Go. When it was released in the U.S. they renamed it Speed Racer. Other Speed Racer series' followed over the years, such as The New Adventures of Speed Racer in 1993, the Speed Racer X remake in 1997, and spinoff shorts such as Mach Girl in 2008. It was that same year that Lionsgate developed Speed Racer: The Next Generation, and the Wachowskis released the American live-action film adaptation.
I've been a long-time fan of the original Speed Racer series, and I also really enjoyed the live-action movie that the Wachowskis directed. I never got into any of the other animated series in between. Hopefully this new version of the series turns out to be a show worth watching.
