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.