In a piece of news we didn’t know we wanted, there’s apparently a new Speed Racer live-action series in the works at Apple. As per Variety, it’ll be made under the Bad Robot umbrella with J.J. Abrams set to oversee as the executive producer. 

The series has been under work for a long time, with Ron Fitzgerald and Hiram Martinez set to write and produce the show, while also serving as co-showrunners. The writers come with a solid track record with Fitzgerald’s previous work consisting of Perry Mason, Westworld, Weeds, and Friday Night Lights.

Martinez has to his credit The Last Ship, the Get Shorty series, Shut Eye, and the Snowpiercer series. Rest assured, the project seems to be in more than capable hands. 

For the uninitiated, Speed Racer first originated as a Manga series in the ’60s, created by Tatsuo Yoshida. Back then it was called Mach GoGoGo, and was then changed to the name we know today, after being adapted into an anime series. The show quickly became successful, with over 50 episodes being produced. 

The story of Speed Racer is based on a racer by the same name and his souped-up car, called the Mach 5. He along with his father Pops Racer and little brother Spritle cross paths against a mysterious racer who goes by the name of ‘Racer X’. We’ll let you uncover the mystery by yourself on who it turns out to be. 

This is the second live-action attempt at capturing the iconic Japanese manga, after the 2008 self-titled movie directed by the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame. While the movie received less than favourable responses among critics, it has since gone to develop a cult-like following on social media. 

Apart from Speed Racer, Abrams and Bad Robots are working on a host of exciting projects, like the Justice League Dark series at HBO Max, along with the Constantine and Madame X standalone shows. 

(Image credits: Warner Bros)