Dragon Ball Z movie to make 2008 release

AnimeNewsNetwork is reporting about the coming Hollywood adaptation of Dragonball:

Twentieth Century Fox has officially announced that it signed director James Wong (Final Destination, X-Files television series, The One) and casted twenty-five-year-old Justin Chatwin (War of the Worlds, The Invisible, Lost television series) in the lead role of Goku for the movie adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball action manga. According to the Variety newspaper, filming is set to begin this month, and the film is slated to open worldwide on August 15, 2008. James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Spike, Smallville’s Brainiac) will play the antagonist Piccolo, and Stephen Chow, of Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer fame, is producing the project.

Wong will not only direct the film, but he also rewrote an earlier script that was submitted by Ben Ramsey (The Big Hit). According to The Hollywood Reporter newspaper, the story centers around the alien Goku as an adult as he protects Earth — the very planet he was sent to destroy. Chatwin is training under the stunt firm 87Eleven (The Matrix, The Bourne Supremacy, 300). Other roles are still being casted. Previous reports have indicated that shooting will take place near Montreal, Canada and in Mexico, and that Heroes actor James Kyson Lee is auditioning for the role of Yamcha.

Between 1984 and 1995, Toriyama created 519 installments of the original manga for the publisher Shueisha and its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The manga’s 42 compiled volumes have sold over 150 million copies in Japan and over 300 million copies worldwide. Both the manga and its anime adaptations (Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z) have enjoyed success in countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. The 17 animated movies in the franchise have been seen a record 49 million times in Japanese theaters. Fox first acquired the live-action film rights to Dragon Ball in 2002.

I’m not sure what to think. The inclusion of Stephen Chow, who is famous for doing comedies, has me a bit worried. I would hope they do a fairly good adaption to the long running series. Unfortunately I will be very shocked if it turns out to be anything but terrible.

 

Sweet, I haven't watched any DBZ for a long time so this should b something new.

 

oh god.

they are gonna ruin DBZ for me >.>

 

Hmm...I suppose that's interesting...I might watch it since it's one of those anime movies...and my older brother love it so much...I just hope it'll be good then. lol

 

Dragon Ball can't be live-action. It would fail in every respect.

Hollywood looks like it's trying to pull out all the stops by hiring 87Eleven to do the stunt performances. 87Eleven did The Matrix, and I remember the day in the theatre watching the final battle in Revolutions between Neo and Agent Smith, and I thought to myself "Yeah, if Dragon Ball ever became live-action--this is practically what it is except there'd be beams flying".

And well hey, 87Eleven is working on the Dragon Ball movie. Figures.

 

No matter what I will see the movie. I'm too much of a hard-core fan of the series to not see it. I have my doubts in the acting choices for Son Goku but with a budget of 100 million and stunts coordinated by the one's who did the Matrix makes me have better hope.

 

This will make a lot of fans frown.

 

You can only imagine the powering up scenes--and how ridiculously long they would be.

The movie would have to be 7 hours long to get through the story.

 

Wow this comes out on my Birthday. Anyway, I don't think DBZ can be live action. I was always a fan of DBZ, not a hardcore fan,but a fan nonetheless. Im definitely going to see it, even though it might just completely fail.

 

The idea of a live action DB universe movie doesn't sound that appealing to me.

*frowns*

Good lord, I can already imagine how much advertising there is going to be(toys, video games).

O.O

 

I can't see this going well at all. Seriously, can you see an actor (Hollywood, Japanese, etc.) looking like Goku or Vegeta with the hair they have?

 

I ish a sad kitty. :'(

I can't see this working out well. I would imagine there will be many laughs, but not the laughs that the director was hoping for.

 

That's what i think too...I mean,c'mon,a dbz movie...?It just doesn't sound right...

 

I hope it will kick ***...if no...they are all DEAD!

 

i hope brolly is in it:D even if he is dead

 

100% agree
they will have to do tons of special effects etc. to even get the feel of the cartoon

 

I just think it will be down right impossible to even come close to the feel of the cartoon. I'll still see it though for a good laugh and just so I can say "I saw the Dragon Ball Movie. Who wants to touch me?"

 

this has a 100million dollar budget. Tho if they mess with the story even a little they will find out that no one will want to see there movie.

 

Dont they like already 13 movies?

 

I had heard of this some time ago, and talked about it with others. I think the movie has the potential to either kick butt or suck royally. I'm not sure which way I am leaning more towards at the moment but I gave Transformers a chance and thought it wasn't bad (though not terrific to me, it was decent) so maybe this will be good too.