I’m definitely not a big anime fan which means franchises like Speed Racer tend to go pretty much unnoticed by me until they have names like the Wachowski Brothers attached. Since the former Matrix partners have taken on Speed Racer, my interest has increased. Emile Hirsch is a good choice for the lead and I enjoyed watching him in The Girl Next Door. The addition of Matthew Fox to the cast a while ago was of interest because of my dedication to “Lost” and the picture of Speedy’s car, the Mach 5, that came out last week… well, that was just cool.
Variety has unearthed more casting news for the Wachowski adaptation: “Friday Night Lights”’ Scott Porter will play Rex Racer, brother to Speed Racer.
Now die-hard fans will already know something I didn’t: Matthew Fox’s “Racer X” character is actually the same person as Rex Racer, so the notion that the Wachowskis are casting a different person to play the two parts is very interesting. Are they changing things up to throw off fans who already know the secret? Are they altering the storyline to give both actors screen time? Doubtful. According to the online buzz, the Wachowskis have stated Porter will appear in quite a few flashbacks, leaving present day scenes for Fox.
I appreciate giving Porter a shot in the movie, but lets not rob Matthew Fox too much. His brief appearance in Smokin’ Aces was brilliant and proves he can really shine if given the chance.
