It’s been awhile since we had any Speed Racer casting news. After locking down established Hollywood names for all the big roles in the Andy and Larry Wachowski big-screen adaptation of the iconic Japanese animated car racing series, the producers are looking abroad to fill some of the smaller roles. The International Herald Tribune is reporting that South Korean pop singer Rain (real name:Jung Ji-hoon) will be cast shortly.

Rain, who I’ve literally never heard of until reading this story, is huge in Asia (not unlike Spinal Tap.) The story says that he draws crowds to his “sculpted body and dance moves.” The actual quality of his music is not mentioned. That doesn’t really matter, though, since his main purpose for being in Speed Racer is to draw pre-teen Korean and Japanese girls to the film’s international release.

The Wachowskis will begin filming this summer with a May 2008 release date expected. Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci are signed on to play Speed and Trixie, with Matthew Fox taking on the role of the mysterious Racer X. It’s not clear what role Rain will play, but the best bet is to look for him as a silent villain.