Live Action Movie
New Scan From Weekly Young Jump
May 15, 2008
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The history of the DragonBall Movie-
Fans have been wondering, thinking, and contemplating for many years; what would happen if DragonBall was turned into a live action movie? The hopes and dreams of many fans was finally answered back in 2002, but the road to the movie actually becoming produced was a long one. Below is the list of events that led up to where we are now:
•In 2002 Twentieth Century Fox aquired the rights from Shueisha to create a live action feature film version of Dragonball. (adapted from the manga)
•The live action Dragonball film will be overseen by Elizabeth Gabler and Jack Leslie is the director of production. Fox has not yet made public the director.
• Twentieth Century Fox bought the domain dragonballz-move.com. Recently, at the end of March 2006, the domain expired and Fox did in fact renew it. To view the stats you can go to www.whois.net
• Variety reported, that in 2004, Twentieth Century Fox hired Ben Ramsey (The Big Hit) to ink the screenplay. The trade tips that he was paid $500,000 for the gig.
• Wizard Magazine reported that Fox approached Director Alejandro Amenabar (The Sea Inside) to direct the film. He turned down the offer.
• Porn star Asia Carrera says on her site that Fox approached her to be Chi-Chi. This is unconfirmed but she turned it down.
• IGN reported the following in their mailbag: Question: I heard that the DBZ movie was no longer in production, is that true? Did they stop making the movie? --Kyle IGN: "Kyle, our contact at 20th Century Fox assures us that the live-action Dragonball Z movie is still in development. However, they had no other updates on the status of the project. Last we heard, the studio had hired a screenwriter to pen a new draft of the script."
• On January 12, 2007 the domain for the live action DBZ movie (http://www.dragonballz-movie.com) was updated and extended from March 25, 2007 to March 25, 2008. Not a very big announcement but it gave a little hope to all those fans wanting to see the movie happen.
• September 2007 - The Montreal Gazette released an article saying Fox planned planned to shoot the DBZ LAM in Montreal with a $100+ budget, as part of a group of films they wanted to rush into production before the Hollywood strike. Later IGN reported that Fox could not confirm this.
• October 2007 - Various movie news sites reported that James Wong (The One, Final Destination 1 & 3) had been hired to direct.
• October 2007 - Coming Soon releases a Fox Pre-Strike Priority list that includes DragonBall with a projected production start date of Fall 2008.
• October 2007 - The Dragonball Z page on IMDB.com comes back up. It said the movie was slated for a 2010 release.
• November 2007 - IMDB changes the name from Dragon Ball Z to just Dragon Ball.
• November 2007 - Robert McLachlan was hired as the cinematographer and Ariel Shaw as the special FX director.
• November 2007 - Mexican newspaper El Norte reports that 20th Century Fox will film 85% of the Dragon Ball Z movie in Durango, Mexico. Shooting is to begin in January and last through March.
• November 26, 2007 - Production began!
• March 5, 2008- It's announced that the movie will be pushed back from August 15, 2008 to April 3rd, 2009 to spend more time on post-production.
• March 26, 2008- Foxmovies annunces on its website that the DragonBall movie will be released on April 8th, 2009.
And so was the road to production for the live action movie version of DragonBall. The Official release date has now been set for April 10th, 2009.
Cast and Crew List
Here you can see the main characters of the film, who's playing who, who's producing the movie, and a little bit of background onwhat the characters will be like in the movie as opposed to how they were in the original series.
Main Cast
Goku (Justin Chatwin)
The hero of DragonBall, Son Goku, will be played by up and coming actor Justin Chatiwn. He recently starred in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds as well as The Invisible. According to the character descriptions, Goku is considered uncool and unpopular at school, but he is in fact an extremely talented martial arts fighter who gets rigorous training from his grandfather, Gohan. Goku conquers physical and emotional challenges, ultimately saving the world but clearly is impelled to spend his life searching for the Dragon Balls with his trusty companions. After the death of his grandfather by the evil Lord Piccolo, Goku finds his destiny in his grandfather's dying request that he find Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls (of which he has one) in order to prevent Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the Dragonballs to take over the world. Trained by Master Roshi, aided by Bulma and Yamcha, friends he meets along the way, Goku proves himself a formidable, almost undefeatable fighter.
Chi-Chi (Jamie Chung)
Goku’s love interest and future wife, Chi-Chi is being played by former Real World cast member Jaime Chung. She recently appeared in a few episodes of the TV series Veronica Mars and acted as a Hooter’s Girl in the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. The character description says that Chi-Chi is Goku’s lifelong love interest, and is an attractive, tom boy-ish young woman who has grown up with Goku. She has studied martial arts and has always suspected that Goku possesses talents that are unusual and extraordinary. After Goku embarks on his journey to redeem his grandfather’s death, Chi-Chi meets up with Goku and his crew at a tournament of champions where their mutual attraction finally heats up during a training session.
Bulma (Emmy Rossum)
Goku’s friend Bulma is being played by actress Emmy Rossum, best known as starring in movies like Posiden and The Day After Tomorrow. Her character description says that she is a determined, competitive young woman whose father's five star Dragon Ball was stolen by Lord Piccolo, and who believes that she can harness their unlimited energy and change the world like Edison or Einstein. Bulma, who has a DBE (a Dragon Ball locator device), teams up with Goku, and with him meets up with Master Roshi and Yamcha as they attempt to collect the missing Dragon Balls before Piccolo can destroy the world. A resourceful and courageous young woman who's also a weapons expert, she overcomes many obstacles with her colleagues, only to find the seven Dragon Balls ultimately snatched from their grasp--but it's clear she's going to continue searching for them with Goku and Yamcha...
Lord Piccolo (James Marsters)
The evil Lord Piccolo, also known as Piccolo Daimao, will be played by none other than James Marsters, famous for his role of Angel on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. According to Marsters, the character was “thousands of years old and a very long time ago he used to be a force of good, but [he] got into a bad argument and was put into prison for 2,000 years. It got him very angry, and he finds a way to escape and then tries to destroy the world.” He also confirmed that Piccolo will retain his appearance from the manga and anime.
Mai (Eriko Tamura)
The role of Piccolo’s top assistant will be played by Eriko Tamura, who is a Japanese actress and singer and currently stars on the TV series Heroes. The character of Mai has changed significantly from the Mai we know from the original manga. Instead of being one of Pilaf’s henchmen, she is now working for Lord Piccolo, and seems to have taken attributes from Oolong and Puar as she has the ability to shape shift. The character description says that she's a martial arts expert and Lord Piccolo's chief enforcer. Crafty and quick thinking, Mai uses her ability to shape shift near the climax of the movie and takes on the form of Chi-Chi, a young martial arts expert who's romantically involved with Goku and later saves Piccolo from Master Roshi's curse; once she is revealed she ends up in the fight of her life.
Master Roshi (Chow Yun Fat)
The Turtle Hermit will be played by famous Chinese actor Chow Yun Fat, who recently starred in the final Pirates of the Caribbean movie. According to the character description, Roshi is a good friend of Goku's grandfather, Gohan, and Goku comes to enlist his help after his grandfather is killed. Although he looks like a beggar, Roshi is one of the world’s most fearsome fighters. Master Roshi begins Goku's rigorous training to prepare him for the adventure of finding and fighting for the seven Dragon Balls to save the world from Piccolo's destructive plan. A wise, somewhat wry man who knows as much about human nature as he does about martial arts, Master Roshi is impressed with Goku's fighting but reminds him of his failings as well. Ultimately, Master Roshi sacrifices his own life in order to destroy Piccolo.
Yamcha (Joon Park)
The desert bandit Yamcha will be played by South Korean singer/actor Joon Park who will also be appearing in 2008’s Speed Racer. The character description for Yamcha states that he is "the bad boy who has no trouble attracting women." He taunts Goku, Bulma and Master Roshi, who are trapped in a sand cave, rather than helping them with his rope ladder. However, after overhearing Master Roshi's tale of Piccolo once nearly destroyed the Earth and are preparing to do so again, Yamcha has a change of heart and not only helps the three in the desert, but becomes a valuable part of the team. An ingenious young man whose utililty truck is the Swiss Army Knife of trucks--every tool and gear imaginable sprouts from its body--Yamcha joins Goku, Bulma (with whom he becomes romantically involved) and Master Roshi on their quest to find the seven Dragon Balls before Piccolo.
Grandpa Gohan (Randall Duk Kim)
Goku’s adoptive grandfather is being played by actor Randall Duk Kim, known for starring in The Matrix Reloaded as the Keymaker. The character description says he is Goku's kindly, wise grandfather, he looks like he's in his 70s but moves like Jet Li. An accomplished martial artist who trains Goku on the bow staff, he loves his grandson and is happy to prepare a special feast for him on his 18th birthday, as well as a special gift: a 4 star Dragon Ball. Tragically, Gohan is struck down by the high ninjas of the Namek-Jins, and as he dies he sends his grandson out to do face his destiny and do battle against them.
Ernie Hudson (Unknown)
Ernie Hudson, most famous for starring in Ghostbusters is playing an unspecified role in the film. According to his character description, the character is an assistant in a temple who meets Goku and his friends and helps them along their way. Many people have started speculating that he may either be Kami-sama or Mr. Popo.
Movie Only Characters
Carey Fuller (Texas Battle)
The bully at school is known as Carey Fuller and is being played by American actor Texas Battle. The role is relatively small but is beaten badly by Goku after hurting Goku’s friend Teto.
Aguands (Richard Blake)
Carey Fuller’s sidekick is being played by Richard Blake. Aguandas is a large and hulking gargantuan, over 6 feet tall. He is a big football player and a bigger bully; he’s athletic and has a fight scene.
Emi (Shavon Kirksey)
Chi-Chi’s friend Emi is being played by Shavon Kirksey. Not much else is known about her and her role is thought to be relatively small.
Luis Arrieta (Teto)
The role of Goku’s school friend Teto is being played by Mexican actor Luis Arrieta. A relatively minor role, but important because he is rumored to be a replacement for Krillin who has not yet been mentioned in anything relating to the movie. Teto is picked on by Carey Fuller and Aguandas until Goku steps in and helps his friend.
Production Crew
James Wong (Director)
James Wong is an American director who has directed many notable TV series and movies such as The X-Files and the Final Destination series. Wong graduated from Loyola Marymount University as a film major and currently resides in California.
Stephen Chow (Producer)
Stephen Chow is an Hong Kong actor, script writer, and movie director who has jumped aboard the DragonBall project as a producer. He's starred in many films, but recently has ben best known as to star in Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. He is a self-admitted Dragon Ball fan and has expressed his excitement to work on the film many times. His role will be more of that as an overseer since he usually lets the director take most of the control in films that he has not written himself.
Robert McLachlan (Director of Photography)
Robert McLachlan is a cinematographer who founded OmniFilm Productions in Vancouver. He worked on many documentaries and commercials before focusing solely on movies. Movies attributed to him include Final Destination 3 and Freddie Vs. Jason.