Speed Racer is a 2008 American action film written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers. A live action adaptation of the 1960s Japanese anime series Speed Racer, it stars Emile Hirsch in the title role, with supporting roles played by Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, and Matthew Fox. The film had been in development since 1992, changing writers and directors until producer Joel Silver and the Wachowskis collaborated to begin production on Speed Racer as a family film.
Speed Racer was shot between early June and late August 2007 in and around Potsdam and Berlin, at an estimated budget of $120,000,000. It premiered on May 3, 2008 as the closing film at the Tribeca Film Festival, and was released in theaters the following week. Though a critical and box office failure, Time magazine included Speed Racer on its list of The All-Time 25 Best Sports Movies.