Dodgy dealings are afoot – or should that be ahand – on the set of the Wachowski brothers’ Speed Racer. Reports are filtering out that a chimpanzee being used as the friendly animal companion for Speed and his team might not be as loveable as the directors were hoping for as the animal bit an unnamed young actor.

Still, if what People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is saying is to be believed, the chimp might be acting out of fear…

According to MSNBC, PETA wrote to Joel Silver. “We are in receipt of information that may upset you, 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.” PETA urged Silver to stop using the live critters and switch to animatronics.”

Warners sent back a swift reply: “We appreciate the concerns of your organization. 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.”

According to the studio’s spokesgob, the biting report is true, but the animal was well treated. Not convinced, PETA continues to be worried about the chimp’s well being off the set. Let’s hope Susan Sarandon doesn’t go bezerk and smash a vital prop.

And before you all write in to remind us that chimps are not monkeys but apes… Yes, we know. But is “chimp madness” funny? No. No, it is not. We once had poo flung at us by an enraged chimp are still getting over the nightmares. The… smell…

Source: (MSNBC)