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Hollywood goes anime with Dragonball live-action movie
By Ryan Burns
Ever since 20th Century Fox bought the film rights to the “Dragonball” series in 2002, the Internet community has been buzzing, but the confirmation has come. A “Dragonball” film is in production and a release date is set for August 15, 2008.
Many people list the film’s source as what first attracted them to anime or manga, so anticipation is high. With epic fights and lots and lots of screaming, Akira Toriyama’s creation has had countless fans over the years.
The film will be set with the evil Lord Piccolo as the villain, so no Super Saiyins here, sorry. The movie will star Justin Chatwin (“War of the Worlds,” “The Invisible”) as Goku, Emmy Rossun (“Phantom of the Opera”) as Bulma, Chow Yun-Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) as Master Roshi and Jason Marsters (Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) as Lord Piccolo.
“It’s got a Shakespearean sense of good and evil, and there are incredible action scenes with characters of unbelievable power,” Marsters told TV Guide. “It's going to be really visually exciting. I was told the budget is about $100 million."
“When I got the role, I had doubts,” Marsters said. “The more I live with it I realize that I am going to rock this harder than I have anything in my life. I’m hungry for it.”
Star Justin Chatwin had an subdued tone on the subject, but did tell a reporter, “I think the character of Goku is an important character to play because he’s been around in kids’ cartoons for a while, so I hope I can do the job right.”
Chatwin has trained for the roll with 87Eleven, the same stunt performance company who worked on “The Matrix,” “300,” “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
I, for one, am curious to see how an anime will be represented in a live-action format. There are so many ways it can go wrong, a proverbial minefield of screw-ups. “Dragonball” in particular is so over-the-top that it should be an immense challenge to get it right.
Still, there is hope. Stephen Chow (“Kung Fu Hustle,” “Shaolin Soccer”) is the producer, after all.
“Dragonball” is not the only manga/anime being converted into a live-action movie. Look for “Speed Racer” this May and “Battle Angel Alita” in 2011. It looks like anime is Hollywood’s new way of dodging the creative process. God help us all.
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Originally Published: Issue 598 - February 27, 2008
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