Go Speed Racer, go!

The classic 1960s manga series-turned cartoon series is getting the live-action treatment from executive producer J.J. Abrams, Deadlne reports.

This version is likely to draw its story from the original 1960s manga, Mach GoGoGo by Tatsuo Yoshida, and Hiram Martinez (Snowpiercer) will be the showrunner. His “exciting take” on the original material impressed both Apple and Abrams, accoding to reports. Ron Fitzgerald (Westworld) has also been hired as a co-writer.

The series “has been in the works for years” as part of Bad Robot’s overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, which is the studio behind the project. It “landed at Apple some time ago” and things seem to have been picking up in recent months with the hiring of new writers, according to insiders, who said the development process has been, well, not exactly speedy.

Speed Racer is a Japanese media franchise about automobile racing. It first launched as a manga series titled Mach GoGoGo by Tatsuo Yoshida in 1966, and after Trans-Lux acquired the syndication rights, Speed Racer was adapted into anime by Tatsunoko Productions, which aired on both Japan’s Fuji TV and on U.S. television in syndication from around 1967-68. The series is said to have helped popularize anime in the United States.

The series and the live-action film follows the adventure of auto racer Speed Racer and his souped up car, the Mach 5. His team consists of his father and car builder Pops Racer, his little brother Spritle and his pet chimpanzee Chim-Chim, and Speed’s girlfriend Trixie. Speed also frequently crosses paths with the mysterious Racer X, who (SPOILER!) is revealed to be Speed’s older brother Rex Racer.

The show’s found mainstream success in the U.S. and spawned an ongoing Speed Racer franchise beginning in the 1990s, which included comics, video releases, merchandise, a 2008 live-action film written and directed by the Wachowskis, and several series.

The New Adventures of Speed Racer, a U.S.-produced reboot of the original series, premiered in 1993 and aired for one 13-episode season. It was followed in 2008 by Speed Racer: The Next Generation, which was released on Nicktoons and later revived on MTV, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.