Chimpanzee Gone Wild On Speed Racer Set

As you probably know, while most of the sets might be computer generated, Speed Racer's pet chimpanzee Chim-Chim is being played by an actual real monkey in the Wachowski Brothers big screen adaptation. There are now allegations that the chimp was beaten after biting one of the human actors. PETA is pissed:

"We are in receipt of information that may upset you," PETA wrote to producer Joel Silver. "We've received several troubling complaints from people who have been on the 'Speed Racer' set and report that the main chimpanzee 'actor' has been beaten and has bitten one of the human actors."

"We appreciate the concerns of your organization," came back the letter from movie company Warner Bros. "We also respect the vision and choices of the filmmakers with which we work. Every option on a film is carefully weighed, and for this production, the decision was made to use live animals."

However, a spokesperson for the film told msnbc that "a chimp did chomp on a young actor, but said that the actor was treated and the animal was given a rest." The spokesperson aksi sent along assurances from the American Humane Society that no animals were being abused. The movie studio would never lie, right? PETA has suggested that Silver stop using the live animal and switch to animatronics. An animatronic Chim-Chim? They can't be serious, can they?