After rumblings that Zac Efron was orbiting the Jonny Quest live-action project with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a Race Banner possibility, new reports come down the line suggesting Speed Racer might have screwed Quest out of its proper name…

Efron seems to be locked into the project as the boy adventurer, which I’m sure the wunderkid will be able to play with the perfect amount of vapid nothingness the role probably requires.

What we know about the Quest project is that a screenplay based on the animated series made the 2008 Black List, the yearly list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. The script, written by Dan Mazeau, was strong enough to get Dan on board for writing the DC live-action Flash adaptation (the DC superhero, not Gordon).

Thing is, even with Johnson and director Andy Fickman (She’s The Man, Race To Witch Mountain) circling the project, the biggest obstacle between now and the film getting made is one of the most stupid excuses I’ve ever heard. Really, they’re calling us, the audience, stupid.

From Hero Complex:

I’m more dismayed by news that folks at Warner Bros. are thinking of jettisoning the name Johnny Quest altogether. Why? I hear the thinking is that the vintage animation roots of “Quest” will somehow pair it in the public mind with “Speed Racer,” which was a major Warners pile-up as blockbuster films go, considering the investment, expectations and critical reception. I’m not surprised because, well, unnuanced thinking in Hollywood is commonplace, and instead of spending the time needed to judge individual properties by their own merits, lots of decision-makers act like my grandmother at the racetrack. “A horse wearing an even number won each of the last two races, so they must be faster…”

Do you guys know the difference between Jonny Quest and Speed Racer? Because I watched both as a youth, so I obviously am not going to get confused between a Car-Fu actioneer and a solid remake of an old action cartoon that, among other things, served as a jumping point for The Venture Bros, one of my favorite animated series ever.

But what about the public? That’s what the studio execs are asking, because - as they all know - you’re stupid.