PETA is at it again. This time they’re attacking the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer, where they’ve decided to use live chimps to portray the part of Speed’s simian buddy Chim Chim.
Apparently, Chim Chim has a biting problem, and has chomped down on some of the cast. The nuts over at PETA heard, and rather than concern for the attacked human they’re worried that Chim Chim might have eaten some flesh that didn’t agree with him.
Alright, I’m paraphrasing. What they actually said, according to MSNBC is: “We’ve received several troubling complaints from people who have been on the ‘Speed Racer’ set and report that the main chimpanzee ‘actor’ has been beaten and has bitten one of the human actors.” Warner Brothers has responded, and says that while the animal is indeed bitey, they “respect the vision and choices of the filmmakers with which we work.” Wait… so they aren’t denying that the monkey is being beaten? I guess beating animals on set falls in the realm of the “vision and choices” of their filmmakers. So is WB saying that the Wachowsis have chosen to beat their Chim Chim and they’re all for it? That can’t be right. Now I’m not sure who to hate here. PETA is usually my default loathing position, but WB needs to engage in some clarification. It is not cool at all to beat up on poor little Chim Chim, I don’t care who he’s bitten.
