Adweek.com’s latest poll asks which recently departed TV series viewers would revive. The fact that people miss Arrested Development is a no-brainer. So, what show has Hollywood decided to re-animate? The 1967 Japanese import cartoon Speed Racer! The jazzy theme song’s cool, but a simultaneous Nicktoons series and live-action Warner Bros. film seems like overkill. According to a piece on Variety.com, the update adds Harry Potter-Star Wars touches. Speed enters a racing school “for the fastest kids on Earth” (Speedwarts?), and there’s a mysterious father angle (Darth Vader sure gets around). Sponsorship opportunities abound. Speed’s environmentally correct Mach 6 car doesn’t run on gas, so automakers with hybrids can bid on the naming rights. Since it’s the “fastest car in the universe,” Jolt cola can slap its logo on the sippy-cup. And chimpanzee sidekick Chim-Chim is now a robot for some reason; perhaps he runs on Duracell. Go, Speed Racer, go!

—Posted by David Gianatasio