Arriba Arriba! Speedy Gonzales Races to the Big Screen

Casting News, News, Projects

Speedy Gonzales, that oft overlooked character of the Looney Tunes myriad of characters, will be finally getting the recognition he deserves with a live action/CG movie. New Line Cinema has announced that George Lopez is currently attached to voice the racing rodent and hopefully squash any concerns about racial stereotypes. George Lopez and his wife Ann are also producing the film, and Ann had this to say about their new directions for the iconic character:

“We wanted to make sure that it was not the Speedy of the 1950s — the racist Speedy,” Anne Lopez said with a chuckle. “Speedy’s going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family that works in a very meticulous setting, and he’s a little too fast for what they do. He makes a mess of that. So he has to go out in the world to find what he’s good at.”

Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow – whose previous credits include Toy Story, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties – will be penning the project. In addition to George and Ann Lopez, Lynette Ramirez, Jerry Weintraub, Tracy Ryerson, and Jill Arthur will also produce the film.

The Pulse: Personally, I’ve always been a big fan of Looney Tunes, especially Speedy Gonzales. There was something so funny about him and the shenanigans in Mexico. But due to the political correctness of today’s society, cartoon characters such as Speedy Gonzales get a bad rap. Hopefully George Lopez will be able to quell some of the anxieties that people might have, since that exact thing is a major point in most of his stand up. I’m looking forward to this movie.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Jenny is proud to be the First Lady of Inside Pulse Movies. She gives female and mommy perspective, and has two kids who help with rating family movies. (If they don't like 'em, what's the point?) She prefers horror movies to chick flicks, and she can easily hang with the guys as long as there are several frou-frou girlie drinks to be had.