speed_rac2er.jpgVariety reports that Lionsgate is planning a new animated series based on the 60’s TV show Speed Racer, set to air on the Nicktoons channel. The new franchise will be a continuation of the old series rather then a reboot and will feature a new young Speed Racer who enters a racing academy for the fastest kids on Earth and discovers that he’s the son of the legendary (and original series’) Speed Racer. The new Speed Racer cartoon is set to launch next year, around the same time the upcoming Warner Bros. live-action adaptation of Speed Racer hits theaters. “It seemed like the right time to do a revival,” said Ken Katsumoto, exec VP of family entertainment at Lionsgate. “When this opportunity arose to revive such a classic property, we jumped.”