Speedy Gonzalez Is Appearing in the New ‘Space Jam’ Reboot and His Official Poster is Out
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Getty Images
In case you haven’t heard, Speedy Gonzalez is appearing in the new “Space Jam” movie. That’s right, the one starring Lebron James. On Monday, the Twitter account of “Space Jam: A New Legacy” debuted a bunch of character posters.
Among the posters of Looney Toons characters was none other than Speedy Gonzalez himself.
(2/2) pic.twitter.com/bHKo0dT6vp
— Space Jam: A New Legacy (@spacejammovie) March 29, 2021
Speedy Gonzalez was dressed in his usual sombrero and neck tie, but this time, he donned a Tune Squad jersey along with his signature ensemble. Honestly, he looked pretty adorable.
While Speedy Gonzalez made a brief cameo appearance in the first “Space Jam” (without any lines), this time around, it appears that the Fastest Mouse in Mexico will have a bigger part.
None other than Latino comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias will be voicing Speedy Gonzalez in the upcoming reboot.
Years ago, there were reports floating around that George Lopez was attached to voice Speedy Gonzalez. In the end, it appears that the studio went in another direction. However, the casting choice is still a strong one because Iglesias is also a beloved and hilarious Mexican-American comedian.
Recently, Gabriel Iglesias has been passionate about defending “Speedy Gonzalez” from critics who think he’s an insensitive Mexican stereotype. Early last month, the New York Times ran an opinion article by Charles M. Blow that claimed that Speedy Gonzalez “helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexican”. The same article claimed that Pepe Le Pew “normalized rape culture.”
In the aftermath of the controversial article, Twitter users were having a heated discussion over whether Speedy Gonzalez was offensive or not.
“I’m a Mexican and I love Speedy González,” wrote one Twitter user. “Please
@CharlesMBlow don’t speak for all Mexicans when you [say] Speedy is offensive for us. [You] don’t have this voice. You are not a Mexican.”
“I’m Hispanic I have never found Speedy Gonzalez offensive,” wrote another. “Canceling everything over such stupid things is why no one takes us seriously when we try to hold people that actually deserve it accountable.”
In the end, the voice of Speedy Gonzalez himself, Gabriel Iglesias, stepped in to defend the fastest mouse in Mexico.
“I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam,” wrote Iglesias. “Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too? U can’t catch me cancel culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico”.
We’re glad that Speedy Gonzalez wasn’t cut out of the new Space Jam and we can’t wait to see how Gabriel Iglesias takes on the role! “Space Jam: A New Legacy” will be both in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on July 16.