Dragon Ball Z Live Action Movie Finds A Director?

Posted by on October 4th, 2007   Filed under: Movies, Rumours, TV
Source: Filmwad

There was a point a few years back when I was seriously addicted to the 90’s anime series Dragon Ball Z. Anyone who has watched the show knows that its ridiculously slow storyline progression and soap opera qualities somehow keep you glued to the TV despite the silly nature of it all; the problem is, after a while it started to get extremely repetitive. I’m not sure how many seasons I actually managed to watch because they all started to blur into each other, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it for a while there. Anyway, the show is still pretty popular both in Japan and the U.S., spawning numerous video games and spin-offs, but the big thing that has been percolating for a while now is a live action Dragonball Z movie. Now it looks like the project may finally have landed a director in James Wong.

CHUD reports that the movie is going into production in Toronto next month, and a trusted source has hinted that Wong will be the man to see it through. Although this has yet to be confirmed, I can see Wong doing a decent job with this flick. (Wong is, of course, the man behind the Final Destination series, and he also directed the 2001 Jet Li Matrix knockoff The One.) There seems to be some confusion over whether or not the movie will be called Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, as the casting sheet seems to indicate characters based on the original Dragon Ball series. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing these massive epic battles on the big screen, the only question is whether or not it will be violent like the uncut Japanese series, or neutered like the American version. I’m guessing they will want to aim for a PG-13 rating, although Wong’s involvement could potentially foreshadow some spectacularly gruesome deaths. Let’s hope for the latter! We’ll have more on this story as it develops.



  • Oh man! This can’t end up being good and yet I’m still excited to actually see this as a live action movie.

    I also was obsessed with DBZ for a while there in high school…. so addicting.

  • I was also a pretty big DBZ fan for a year or two in high school, and I also don’t really see how this can be good, but I’m interested nonetheless.

    While the idea of seeing real people doing the unbelievable shit they do in DBZ is intriguing, I honestly believe that the material already exists in the perfect medium for it: animation. They can and do get away with any ridiculous crap they want to on the cartoon, and I feel that even with today’s computer effects technology the filmmakers will be short-changing the source material by trying to make it real.

    Everything taken into account, though, I’ll still be in line for this movie if and when it comes out. Although, I can’t help but feel that they’re making this film a few years too late.

  • Thiscantbegood

    This can’t be good. I’ve read the character info for the movie and they’re nothing like the manga/anime. It’s like they’re making a different story and characters and slapping names like Goku, ‘Lord’ Piccolo, Bulma, and Yamcha on them. Don’t see why they wouldn’t try to put effort into making this good. Look how far American comic book movies have come, but this just seems like another run-of-the-mill martial arts movie with some ‘The One’ elements mixed in. I know they say a strike is coming in Hollywood, so why not wait instead of rushing this one beforehand; make a story that is more closely resembles the original and make it just cgi instead of getting scrawny actors to play the super-buff characters from dbz. Stupid!

  • Big Uk Dbz Fan

    Im from the uk, iv been a fan of dragon ball z since i was 9 years old.
    im now 17 and still a big fan!

    recently there has been fans complaining about funimation after they began cropping dragonball z and making it widescreen on the remasterd season box sets?

    well fans will be disgusted in the rubbish that Wong has came up with.

    Goku at school? lord piccolo telling goku hes a saiyan? gokus grandad being killed by piccolos men?
    goku is slow and dumb!
    A saiyan needs to tell goku hes a saiyan!
    GOKU NEEDS TO KILL HIS GRANDAD GOHAN BY BECOMING AN APE!
    i also read that the dragonball goku has is THE THREE STAR ball.

    i could go on and on about how awful this film will be if it doesnt change. and it needs summ major chnging!

    This film could be fantastic and have alot of great sequals.
    but the way its going at the moment. its going to make the anime dragon ball and dragon ball z a joke.

  • dean

    hi,i’m a big fan/addict of dbz/dbgt…but is this shit about a live action movie all real…uh.are the characters lookalikes of the animated series.. i hope this movie realeses before i die..or too old to watch.

  • ashley

    yea well get this, you know who is supposed to play piccolo? Spike. Freakin spike from buffy the vampire slayer. idk know about you but….hmmmm…..will it be worth seeing?

  • hi
  • EZE

    Everyone has already pointed out the obvious. “This film could be good or bad. Most likely it will suck.”

    I’m 21 and I remember watching Dragon Ball when I was 10. That show was great and then DBZ came along and it was even better. However, now as an adult I can’t deny that I would be interested in watching a Live-Action film of my childhood cartoons.

    I’m just going to refrain from saying anything until I at least see a screenshot from this movie. The Trailer will tell every fan what to expect once comes out.

    Until then just hold on and hope that the changes they DO make won’t be that bad.

  • Jeff

    CHECK OUT MY MUSIC VIDEO OF DBZ ITS THE BEST SO FAR!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB6t12l_Plk

  • come on people to tell you the truth i’ve been look in for the dragon ball z movie and to tell you the truth i don’t think there gonna be one

  • Rosilin

    I wish they had kept this movie in pending for the rest of eternity. Now all we sensible people can do is join the worldwide boycott against this movie in hope that we can seal it up for eternity.