Apr 5, 2016

Warner Bros. develops Quick Gonzalez CGI Heist Capers

Warner Bros. has been anything but speedy when it comes to making a feature film centered around their iconic Looney Tunes star Speedy Gonzales, the “fastest mouse in all Mexico.”

For good reason perhaps because he's not an easy character to adapt. In his first starring role, Speedy crossed the United States border to steal cheese from a “gringo” cat, which he then redistributed to his mice friends back in Mexico.

A new animated feature currently in development at Warner Bros. attempts to put Speedy's behavior in the context of contemporary America, where U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has suggested building a wall to separate the United States from its southern neighbor, Mexico. “We see this as an origin story of the great master, like a Robin Hood character, who ultimately ends up taking from the rich and giving to the poor,” producer Dylan Sellers told Deadline. “In a time when Donald Trump is gaining momentum, the world needs Speedy more than ever.”

This is not the first time Warner Bros. has attempted to revive Speedy in a starring vehicle. A live-action/CG Speedy film was announced six years ago with George Lopez as the mouse. That version, which sanitized the character by emphasizing his speed in an inspirational Turbo-style story, went nowhere.

This new version, described as a “heist caper,” is being scripted by Hank Nelken (Are We Done Yet-, Saving Silverman). Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez is attached to star, as well as produce. Derbez, a popular actor in Mexico, often voices animated characters, including the Donkey in Dreamworks Animation's Shrek.

“In Mexico we grew up watching Speedy Gonzales,” Derbez told Deadline. “He was like a superhero to us, or maybe more like a revolutionario like Simon Bolivar or Pacho Villa. He watched out for the little people but with a lot of bravado and a weakness for the ladies. I'm really excited to be bringing this character to the big screen. And besides being Mexican- my full name is Eugenio Derbez Gonzalez and I have big ears. The casting couldn't be better.”

Speedy Gonzales first appeared in the 1953 Robert McKimson short Cat-Tails for Two and was developed into a series of shorts by Friz Freleng beginning in 1955. The design of the character, as we know him today, was largely the invention of designer Hawley Pratt.