Christina Ricci gears up for "Speed Racer"

By Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Christina Ricci is joining "Matrix" creators Larry and Andy Wachowski's live-action adaptation of the 1960s cartoon "Speed Racer."

Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman already have boarded the high-octane Warner Bros. project, which is based on the anime series created by Tatsuo Yoshida for Japanese audiences and later imported to the U.S.

"Speed" centers on a young race car driver, Speed (Hirsch), and his quest for glory in his thundering, gadget-laden vehicle Mach 5. Ricci will star as Speed's girlfriend Trixie, his formidable ally on and off the track.

The show revolved around Speed's family. In the big-screen adaptation, Goodman will play Pops, a race car owner and builder. Sarandon is on board as Pops' wife, the backbone of the family as well as the Mach 5 Go Racing Team.

The Wachowskis, who are writing and directing, are eyeing a summer shoot in Berlin with a summer 2008 release.

The casting is a change in direction for Ricci, who has tended to star in such indie-oriented fare as "Monster," "Penelope" and the recent "Black Snake Moan." She also appeared on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," a turn that earned her an Emmy nomination last year.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter