Casting Notes: George Lopez Is Speedy Gonzales; Anjelica Huston And Philip Baker Hall In I'm With Cancer

Consider this a courtesy report on the fact that New Line is making a film based on the Warner Bros. cartoon character Speedy Gonzales, with George Lopez providing the voice of the character. Because, like the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies, the Garfield films, et al, this one is a movie purely for the kids. As an adult who always thought the character was the worst of WB's stable, this sounds awful.

Speaking of Garfield, the writers behind that first movie (Alex Sokolow and Joel Cohen) are writing Speedy, which will be a live-action/CGI hybrid. Anne Lopez, wife of George, says "We wanted to make sure that it was not the Speedy of the 1950s — the racist Speedy. [He's] going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family that works in a very meticulous setting, and he's a little too fast for what they do. He makes a mess of that. So he has to go out in the world to find what he's good at." My guess: he doesn't become Mexico's cultural ambassador to the UN. [THR]

After the break, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall help make the cast for Rogen and McAvoy's upcoming 'cancer comedy' look more like one for a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. Could there be any more ridiculous story pairing? OK, sure there could, but it probably won't happen today.

That 'Untitled Cancer Comedy' we've talked about before, previously called I'm With Cancer, has just added two immense talents: Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall. If I wasn't on board before, I am now. In a big way.

The film follows a guy, played by James McAvoy, who learns he has cancer and successfully battles the disease. Seth Rogen co-stars and produces, with Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard along for the ride. Jonathan Levine is directing from a semi-autobiographical script by Will Reiser. [Variety]