Dragon Ball Movie More Details Emerge
Wednesday 14 November 2007 @ 2:46 pm | By Ivan 'Nahu' LozanoIf you're new here and you like what you see, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed, and browse around for more fun stuff. Thanks for visiting!
New details have sprung up concerning the new ominously active Dragon Ball life action film being made by 20th Century Fox. First of all some of the filming will take place in Durango, Mexico. And while I should be happy this is happening in my country I just cant bring myself to do so. Durango is a nice place with lots of sparse hills ripe for crashing and exploding from energy beams and the deformed bodies of super human martial artists crushing into the ground. So far so good.
Next up James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando on Heroes has been cast to play the part of Yamcha, the human who was awesome during the original dragon ball but then proceeded to become amazingly mediocre in Dragon Ball Z. Its still ok though, they do look alike, bulging muscles aside.
But here’s the thing that really bugs me, Justin Chatwin, pretty boy actor from War of the Worlds, has been casted to play Goku, and frankly this is the 2nd nail on the coffin of this movie. The first nail, for those of you who are wondering, was the fact that the movie was being produced at all. Its really no surprise I cringe at the thought of Justin Chatwin playing Goku, not that there’s anything wrong with Mr. Chatwin but seriously, no one can play Goku, its just not possible for a real human to play the part.
Oh and did I mention that James Marsters, better known as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer will be playing the part of Piccolo Dai Maku? The man is skinny as hell and Piccolo isn’t exactly a thin man though James Marsters has the mean guy role down to a science.
And so things start looking bleak you might say, but wait a minute, James Wong, famed director responsible for the Final Destination movies will be directing this monstrosity of a film which he also re-wrote the script for. And while this isn’t a redeeming factor it may at least mean that most of the characters will die from a freak accident in the first 15 minutes of the film, sparing us from most of the pain of what this is surely to become and that as much as we love to complain, we’ll still be there on the opening day.
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… MONTREAL OR DURANGO? GIMME A BREAK!
I mean, its not like Goku was meant to be “asian” or “white” or any of the know races here on Earth, but… aagh…
How long till they want to make a Naruto movie? 3 years?
Thankfuly I wont give a damn about a Naruto movie, I never got involved in that trainwreck. I grew up watching Dragon Ball though so this hits painfuly close to home. And actually the more I look at that photo of Justin Chatwig I get more used to the idea, he does kinda resemble Goku in a vizarre sort of way.
I don’t think Chatwin resembles Goku in any way, shape, or form. I could see Lee as Yamcha ONLY IF he spent, let’s say 5 years in the gym, but seeing as they’re filming in January, that’s not going to happen. Guess we can look foward to Fox ruining Dragon Ball by throwing in skinny guys. This isn’t the Matrix, Fox, it’s DBZ where all the fighter’s looks actually match their strength.
Im really shocked that they would ruin a perfectly good anime show by having Justin Chatwin play the part of Goku, i’ve been waiting for years for them to make a Dragonball movie and its going to be a poor film if they continue with Chatwin, nobody wants him to play Goku cause he looks nothing like Goku, and i dont know if anyone else agrees with me here, but his eyes are too weird, they’re slanted. Anyway i hope they sort this out soon cause its going to be a waste of money in the end. Oh, and while im writing this check out my picture on here http://www.myspace.com/eenkhoorn20 if you think i look like Goku then they should have me play the part lol (well i was told i look like him by many people :S) and on a plus side im already a black belt martial artist and can do a good impression of Goku’s angry eyes lol
LATER!!!
I agree, AJ. Chatwin is very wimpy and looks nothing like Goku. Chatwin’s eyes are slanted downwards while Goku’s are slanted up. Lol, I too used to have a friend call me Goku when I was in high school. But yeah, their best option would be to just make the movie cgi so they wouldn’t have to find an actor that’s buff and looks like one of Toriyama’s characters.
I don’t think Justin is suitable role of Goku since saiyain usually look more Asian than white and I think Jackie Chan is more qualify to be role of Goku than Justin. Jackie and Goku have similar characteristics such as they are funny and good at Martial arts in funny way.
As for the role of Vegeta would be suitable for Jet Li and same thing they do have similar characteristics like they do look more aggressive type and martial arts in brutal way.
So, what do you think guys about Jackie Chan and Jet Li that i mention above ?
Oh and one more thing i also train with a Bo staff just like Goku ;D
LATER!!!
I actually think Jackie Chan and Jet Li are both WAY too old. Saiyans age extremley slowly so they always look like they’e in their late 20’s-early 30’s and Chan and Li are both much older and older-looking than that. Maybe if they did it in cgi, but not live action.
Im 20 im a black belt i love to fight i love Bo staff lessons, im very protective and really funny when im fighting too and im a really nice person (again this is a rumour lol) lol i never realised before how much my life resembles to Goku’s :O ….OMG! they got to audition me to play the part of Goku they got too!!!
Let us normal people have a chance at movies, this gens actors are getting too old and have no knowledge of dragonball!! ive been watching since i was a little kid!!
LATER!!!
Oh man this stinks…
not one of these resembles GOKU! How STUPID!!
What??
This is just not right
Those two are like horsepinchers, i mean goku has a strong body, beautiful cuts, but none of these casts have one!!!
Well we will wait for the movie to release and see how it comes>>>>>>
the first guy looks like he have been kicked by ass by someone…!! ha ha ha………..
Guys Guys Guys, this is a live action “ADAPTATION!” and this word is the key, when they make spiderman or i am legend or superman or 300 or x-men or lord of the rings or transformers they are just that “adaptations” they are versions of something that has has been made already with a big following in the past and as long as you all expect the adaptation of something to be an exact copy you will never be happy, so things just DO NOT work in live action that work in a manga or a comic or a book there needs to be “adaptations” so no matter who you pick they will no “look like” the pre adapted material, (gokus hair for gods sake could never be copied to live action) no what you must look for in a adaptaion is if the actors or set design or story, costumes etc etc can convey the essence of the source material and i believe that justin chatwin can do this, he has shown in his work before that he can show intense emotion and a deep anger but yet it has a purity and child-like quality to it…now that sounds like our friend goku down to a tea. So if you call your self a true DBZ fan you will no that it is more than just dudes shooting each other with energy balls (if this was so it would be like countless other animes) and that the things that set DBZ aside in the manga-comic and in the anime is what i see doveloping in the live action….and THAT is what will make a great “Adaptaion” not wither or not he is muscley or not.
and by the way the fella that is playing piccolo is going to be treated like “david jones” in pierats of the carabean… i.e. he acts the part out with “tracker suit” on and then 3d elements will be added to him after and trust me this will look amazing looking a the cg supervisor on this…he no’s his stuff!
and final note….what is with the constant “jakie chan to play goku or jet lei to play goku”…dont be so obvious 1. jakie chan cant act to save his life, he is great at what he does but i think giving a role that requires a pretty wide range of emotions and intense story would be WELL out of mr, chans acting range and 2. jet lei is a “OK” actor but for the same reason he could not pull it off…do you no who would be an AWESOME vegita……
Hiroyuki Sanada http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/6321/Events/6321/ActorHiro_Jeff_14591342_400.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Sanada,%20Hiroyuki
now this guy is awsome and shows all the key elements needed to pull off vegita in an adaptaion of DBZ not just “he kicks ass”
and one last thing goku is neither asian or “white” as it was made ON PERPOSE to be raceless to cut out this very debate…akira beleved that race did not matter (which it dosnt) and making him raceless would make goku feel freindly to all children because they can see a bit of him in themself (unless your black like me ha ha ha) so just chill out with the “he was asian, no he was white no no no he was blue with green stripes” IT DONT MATTER! the essence of goku isnt in the skin color, come on guys goku himself tought you better than that! lol
in fact i just thought… goku defo isnt white or asian or anythink….HE ISNT EVAN FROM EARTH!!!!
Nothing wrong with an adaptation as long as they don’t stray TOO far away from the original story. Transformers was good, the first too Spider-Man movies were as well. This one though, I don’t know. I think they are changing it way too much. Goku in the movie is unrecognizable in comparison with the manga. What about Venom in SM3? People said Topher Grace would be a good Venom even though he was skinny but after the movie, people said they threw too many ideas in one movie and Venom sucked because he didn’t resemble the original Venom in any way. If you’re going to interpret Goku, make him belevable AND resemble the original design at least somewhat. Superstrong, but skinny and wimpy-looking isn’t right. Maybe for the androids because their power comes from how they were engineered, or in the Matrix where the power is from a computer anomaly. But a naturally strong being that is evolved to fight, plus a lifetime of training from your talented grandfather? It’s just stupid if you end up like Justin Chatwin. They say “don’t worry, he’s training with the studio who trained the ‘300′ actors.” The biggest weight he looks like he’s lifted is the pen to sign his million-dollar contract.
All valid point fellow fan but i still feel that you underestimate the transformation a actor can go under for a part and yes venom was very very poor but this is not the same deal as there are other trades that goku has other than a huge chest that chatwin is perfect for….also bear in mind what time this is set in….piccolo saga (roughly) take a look at goku at this point…he is not that big at all! in fact he looks almost normal size as does piccolo, now if they were to pick chatwin for the role of goku in the buu saga i woul say “yes he is not right for the roll” but only because of his size but age and most important goku at that point has a air of nobility and wiseness that came with age, but this is not the buu saga it is PRE-DBZ! he was a kid at this point so i fail to see how chatwin wont be good.
AND! i think he looks quite like him…even though it is almost imposable to find a human that will look like goku but looks like a young goku to me.
and also, look at Gerard Butler before the roll of leonidas he does not resemble a greek sparten king but he was mind blowingly good.
Well there are already pics of Chatwin and he looks as wimpy as ever. I know Goku wasn’t huge but he was still pretty buff at age 18. I’m just saying, get someone who looks like they can hold up their fists, not some pretty boy Orlando Bloom or Zac Efron-type guy. Shoot, look at Will Smith in I Am Legend. He wasn’t huge but he looked pretty fit and like he could fight.
Well i guess it is now just a case of opinion, I for one am not worried about the cast and am glad they havnt followed the bulk of the fans advice of hireing some jackie chan / van dame / arnie type “actors” and made DBZ into a all star cast and this decades street fighter.
I for one will most probably enjoy this film i think, i hope you can to :)
I don’t see how you can jump to the conclusion that the actor chosen to play goku is a bad choice. Are any of you major movie directors or producers? Can you actually envision it in your head the way the producer is? No you can’t. And Picollo? hello do you know how much makeup he’ll need he’ll look nothing like how he did on buffy. Lets wait for some screen shots first before we all jump to conclusions.
Your right, wait for screenshots before not liking it! I am a the biggest fan I know and I think (chatwin) for Goku is a step in the right direction. The one thing i loved about Goku was his strong look, him being humble and care free, and his look straight to your core eyes. I think that(chatwin) can fell this role. I hope this film does great, so they make more. Ive waited many years to hear this news. AndIm glad!
Also look at Justin Chatwin’s chin compared to Goku’s in the pictures above, they are like the exact same shape. He’s got poofy hair and a small nose like Goku too, I think he’ll make a great Saiyan.
No matter what is said it is always going to be a problem making a live ation version of an animie cast wise for the simple fact humans DONT look like that is they did hey would look bloody scary! But all we can do is pick someone that resembles the characters as best as possable in more than just looks but temprement and emotion now chatwin is a great choice in turms of these traits and if you are looking just to find someone that has gokus body then the acting would suffer most likey AND it would look a bit cheese him being huge this will translate good on film imo. Also goku does look like a bit of a pretty boy in comp to the others piccolo and vegita, all the bad guys are much rougher looking and goku keeps his kid-like quality throughout the dbz timeline so having chatwin grow with this character (if it does well and more is made) my be a better idea than I imagine.
And on a random not Sean McCabe! lol I have a double barrel name and McCabe is my last name, I have never met anyone with that same last name! and that loves DBZ and agrees with the chatwin debate LOL small worlds aye?
if anyone should play goku it should have been tom welling (smallville) he does look like goku a lil…n he has the body type from plAYIN A YOUNG SUPERMAN
Why would Tom Welling play Goku? He’s too normal looking and already plays Superman. Goku’s like Japan’s Superman. Also, why are some people writing off any suggestions of a bulky actor to play Goku. I don’t think being skinny or ‘normal’ looking is a prerequisite for being a good actor. And if looks don’t matter, then hey, let’s get one of old Shakespearean actors from England like Ian Mckellen, they can portray character very well. Lol, no but seriously what’s next? Zac Effron as Broly? One more thing, to the people saying it’s good that they made Goku normal hair for realism. I think they did it because they’re lazy. How is Goku’s hair over-the-top but the idea of Emmy Rossum wearing a blue wig not over-the-top and unrealistic? Look at Joon Park’s white hair in Speed Racer, funky but really cool-looking if you ask me. They could have done that with Goku, but I think it’s a lot easier to put a crappy blue wig on Rossum than it is to design something long and spiky like Goku’s hair.
mate look I may not agree with all the comment here in this debate but what you just said would be trully the worst idea for a live action film and you clearly have little expirenece of “film reading translations” …. gokus hair WOULD! look completly stupid in real life, It would ruin his characters and maybe the film, if there was one thing I worried about all the years I imagined DBZ the live action movie it was that. imagine big sections of giometric black shapes of hair sticking up out of his head and having to stay in that shape (as it is what defines goku from others and there faces are very sim) in the middle of a huge earth shaking battle, but “oh make sure the hair still is the same”, it realy realy realy would not work and it is safer to just ignore the hair in the CARTOON! in the adaptaion of DBZ in a movie.
and i am not saying bulking people cant act but the most of them are in acting to play “the bodygaurd” type of role and get little space or lines ever to improve the skills as actors so for the most part actors that are known for there physic are not the best at other aspects of acting, which imo will just not do for goku, justin chatwin is no Ian McKellen and his is no jackie chan either but he resebles the best of both imo and as far as trying to ADAPT! dbz he is a good choice, if it were up to the non film making fans it would end up a mess and just silly looking like street fighter the movie…oh dear that was crap
I’m just saying, get someone who looks like they can fight. I don’t know why they’re trying to make Goku an everyday guy with not-so-everyday powers. That’s just not Goku to me, it’s more of something like Spider-Man or Superman or X-Men or Matrix. Know what I mean? And I still find it odd about the hair thing, like I said Bulma gets blue hair (maybe?) and Goku just looks like everyday? I’m worried it’ll turn out like what you mentioned, the Street Fighter or DOA movies. Too bad it’s live action and not Beowulf-style. They could do so much more with it.
Yeah i agree with everybody here you guys are just messing this movie by putting justin as goku he sucks….hes wimping and ugly….
NOW YOUR TALKING MATE!! if there had gone for CG adaptation this would not evan be a debate the hair the looks the build all would be the same and it would not look silly at all, or you could improve it. Have any of you seen the starting intro to Onimusha 3 on the ps2? the CG in that was done by “blur studios” and at the end there is a very DBZ esque scene and he turns into a SS1 style character were his hair changes color and flows in the air above his head…if you can find it have a look, I think most of you would agree that would of been a good route to go with DBZ.
sorry my mistake It was done by “robot” not “blur studios”
here is the link for the vid take a look and let me no what you think?…its a little to calm but the basic idea is there and it would look cool i think….in fact i hope there add this in some way to the live action one….it is a more mature approuch the SS1 transformation imo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WdvfQFgFyk
Hey Chris, there is also an Appleseed Ex: Machina movie in anime-styled cgi that looks great. The best thing I could find to add to your video example is this preview for the upcoming XBOX 360/PS3 game, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit. The cutscenes are great, I think they should do a movie like that but improve the graphics more to movie quality. One more thing, Fox is going to air some movie previews during the Super Bowl (Go Chargers!!!), don’t know if it’s aired outside the U.S., but one of the previews is assumed to be Dragon Ball. Here’s the video of Burst Limit:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pPeVnBC-6ho
See? If they did one like that then they could get some good actors without factoring in looks; it’d be awesome and I couldn’t see anyone complaining about that.
aye i have seen “burst limit” clips b4 but I must say I think doing a U.S. made live action movie of DBZ would be a bit of a waste of time in the old animie style myslef. It would be like sending the S.A.S to aprehend a shop lifter, you no what i mean? if fox are going to spemd mills with some of the best VFX artists in the world why not make it somthing specal that is abouve and beyond all else DBZ before this you no make it more mature (as the fans have grown sinse DBZ ended) more real more gritty and less colorful. just my take anyway the beowulf/onimusha 3 look would be utters SICKNESS in my opinion but maybe they could do some Animie shorts lasting 5-10 mins telling the story of events leading upto the film showing thing not seen in the original animie? like the animatrix (sort of) with the cel rendered 3d you mentioned?…that could work :)
Yeah, that’s why I was saying majorly improve the graphics. I personally love the original Toriyama style because of the hair and just the overall look, but if they did it Beowulf-style or cgi-Anime-style, I’d be happy either way because I think they could match the look either way. They could do the fights a lot better too, (I really hope they keep the fights lighting fast Dragon Ball/ Z style and not something like the slow, clutsy air tumbling fighting of the Matrix). If they even fly that is.
The people really screwd up!.He looks nothing like GOKU and has no muscle!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I can see that this thread it getting no-where LOL, there are some on here that are real fans and looking at this subjectivly and trying to see why the decisions that have been made so far have been but the rest just say “he looks nothing like him” LOL I challenge all thoughs to post the name of an actor that looks like a frigging animie character!!!!…..THERE IS NON!!! so just stop whining about it cus I am guessing you could do no better :P if it was up to thoughs people DBZ would still be going now no doubt and be utter crap, leave the creative stuff to the people that do it for a job and you just watch it and whinge after as that seems that all the bulk of si-fi fans do. :) good day
Ok so everyone is saying how the guy playing Goku looks dumb and what not but we still have not seen any screen shots so lets not jump to any conclusions just yet.
Sean, there are screenshots of filming.
http://blogs.hoycinema.com/myfiles/movieland/dbzmex1.jpg
http://blogs.hoycinema.com/myfiles/movieland/dbzmex2.jpg
Apparently Goku has sideburns and bulma drive a Dodge Charger.
agreed :)
Filming has recommenced today, so I’ll post any new info I get.
http://darkdiamond.net/web-notes/dragon-ball-movie-more-details-emerge/#comments
Lots of people in orange gis. I hope Roshi doesn’t have some school of kame-sennin students. Either that or they’re stunt people. Everyone is skinny and not in shape to look like super warriors from Dragon Ball. The one that makes me the most angry is Chatwin next to SS3 Goku.
Teto, not Krillin. That’s all I’ve got to say about how sucky this movie appears to be turning out.
Sorry, wrong link. Here is the correct link.
http://blogs.hoycinema.com/movieland/post/2008/01/15/exclusivas-fotos-e-informacion-del-pizarrazo-oficial-la
Oh, one more thing. Chi-Chi will be called Milk in the movie. Apparently the idiots in production think everyone will get that Chi-Chi means ‘breasts’ and will be traumatized for life. That’s the only theory I can come up with.
forget what I said about Chi-Chi being called Milk. That’s just what she’s called in Mexico.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHfmJHRbsVY#5si8XS5FUqQ
Above is a link to Chatwin talking about the role of Goku. He calls Dragon Ball a “kid’s cartoon”. Hey Justin, you’re getting paid TONS of money for this. At least take the time to look at the true source material, because I’m pretty sure blood, cursing, and nudity are NOT for kids. Oh, and know the difference between a cartoon and an anime, genius.
dragonballz elas mejor serie y ami megus ta cuan do goku lansa el camejameja
When i was a kid i loved dbz nd dragon ball…i grew up on this shit. This movies is either going to be a surprsing badass mpvoe or its goin to destroy dbz. give chatwin a wig n some steriods n ull be good to go
lol
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ietr_n2rvsc
Nah man, they’re going to mess it up bad. Chatwin’s already in filming and is as wimpy as ever. He’s not enthusiastic for the part and doesn’t know what Dragon Ball is, saying it’s been on ‘kid’s cartoons’. Those things coupled with the fact that he has average acting skills is a recipe for disaster. I’m glad though, because I think screwing it up will make everyone stop pushing for anymore live action DB/ Z movies. Hollywood doesn’t know anything about dbz and never will. Oh and CHATWIN WILL NOT WEAR A WIG! HIS HAIR WILL LOOK LIKE RYAN SEACREST’S HAIR!!!! There’s already pics out for it.
To those who are going to the opening: C’mon!! After all these details coming out about how much the live action movie will f***up the series, you guys are still going!? Try and learn from the Japanese who are staying try to the true legend series, at least. They’ve even started a boycott now
Well all the studio needs is all of us to go and see it out of curosity once and they are manking the money they need….dont see it at the movies dont buy the dvd just watch a copy that way we can see how crap it is and the sutio get no cash out of us and dont manage to make an ass out of all the dbz fans around the world
Yeah, I agree with Bellua and Bogangles. DB and DBZ fans, you know in your hearts this movie is utter crap. Quit making excuses so you won’t feel like you’re being cheated with this sad excuse of an adaptation. I’m boycotting it, you should to if you don’t like it. If you don’t you’ll increase the chance to make James Wong’s dream come true of making a crap trilogy.
hai ilike dragonbalz verymuch
I Think this movie will be great. My favourite cartoon as a child was Dragon Ball Z.I reckon Justin Chatwin will do a good job in the role of Goku. And people who say they are fans of the series, Stop Bagging the movie and saying it will be shit. Its F*@kin annoying
Superman was an alien and those movies were excellent and raked in alot of bank. Maybe Dragonball will be like Superman and get alot of good reviews if people stop saying its shit before they actually see the movie.
Never judge a Book By Its Cover!!
I mans! im huuge Fan of DRagon Ball, All of it! because it’s one hell of a saga! About the movie i think!
if it gives me the samme felling in live action!
like if im side the story
that i have when i see the anime!
maybe theres a slight chance to be a big sucess!
and by the way!
i dont think Mr Akira toroyama wanted that
Dragon Ball converted to real action movie
space warriors hair will be always
the living proof of it !
its a dream world ! and its all about the meaning of friendship and the never quiting figthing spirit
and quest for the ultimate figthing tecnique
and to quote somme people “if this adaptation”
gives us this…
i will no longer say that justin chatwin sucks tremendosly for this part its not just the resenblanse
does he sees it? as children do ?
because there…is where the question lies.
if Justin its bringing theses feelings to his part
the samme feelling´s that songoku
passed to us all fans !
the the movie will be big!
oh mans ! they are makin a big mistake
will somme one kill this movie
I hate it when the supporters of this movie try to tell the critics of it how to think. Everyone has their own opinion. Let’s keep it that way.
I think it’s safe to say that the movie will be far better than the original live action Dragon Ball movie that came out in the 80s. Lets hope that the people making put enough care into the film and wait to see some real screen shots or trailers.
big dragen ball fan
ok who’s stupid idea was it to put justin chatwin in this movie because i wan to beat the crap out of them that just ruins the movie he looks nothing like goku id rather have an asin guy
i for one will like to see how it turns to the actor who plays Vegeta!!! no one can play him as well!! period!
Vegeta!!?? i thought this story was revolving around dragonball. Vegeta was no part of dragonball. And how come krillin is not in the movie. This movie will be a total flop.
i think that jet li should play as vegeta,
Mark Dacascos should play as goku, wesley snipes should
play as piccalo,keanu reeves should play as older gohon
so what do u think about the character?
even if it had the perfect actors, it would still kinda suk Bcuz the clothes and the storyline. Goku never went to school!!! and 4 every 1 hu says this movie suks, go to db-lam-protest.forumotion.com and sighn the cancellation petition
Boycott this crap
The Japanese, Chinese and Koreans are already organizing to do so