The Wachowskis are no strangers to set mishaps, dating all the way back to Bound, where their obsessive pursuit of girl-on-girl sex-scene perfectionism resulted in a slew of bruised groins and hicky-related injuries for lead actresses Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon. Today comes news of carnage on the Speed Racer set—their live action homage to the 1960s anime classic—where a chimpanzee has reportedly bitten a human co-star's hand. PETA has responded by sending a letter to superproducer Joel Silver, pleading with him to replace the animal with a CGI version, which tend to be far more agreeable and less prone to trainer-delivered beatings. Reports The Scoop:

"We are in receipt of information that may upset you," PETA wrote to the producer Joel Silver..."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.

A spokesperson confirmed that a chimp did chomp on a young actor, but said that the actor was treated and the animal was given a rest.

The 15 milligrams of injectable "rest" administered to the ornery chimp proved so successful, producers ultimately decided to give the newly docile actor a second chance. It's a decision they may wind up regretting, should horrified crew members find themselves fishing Spritle's mangled body from the Mach Five's trunk, only to discover a blood-drench Chim-Chim emerging from the shadows a moment later, delivering a dead-eyed stare that all but gloats, "The bite was your warning, humans. Spritle didn't have to die."

• PETA not monkeying around with 'Speed Racer' [MSNBC]