Saiyan Island

We’ve found a new Japanese teaser poster featuring Justin Chatwin (Goku) in his orange gi over at DragonballCN. Check it out.

Discuss on our new forums.

Jenova Anime has uploaded yet another Mai (Eriko Tamura) vs. Chi-Chi (Jamie Chung) tournament fight video. This one’s probably the shortest so far, but enjoy!

In addition to that, Dukemon from DBMB found a new scan from… Playboy? All of the images were previously released, but it’s something!

We’ve got a translation thanks to my source in Japan.

Live-Action Dragonball premiere date is decided. The Kamehameha will be unleashed all at once throughout Japan on March 13th, 2009.

“This movie is a boy’s coming-of-age tale. And I like Goku very much,” said Justin Chatwin.

Chow Yun-Fat is Master Roshi. What will become of the funny scene “Pafu-Pafu” ?

Emmy Rossum is Bulma. She will ride around on very cool motorcycles.

Now live-action Dragonball is in production in Hollywood, its official premiere date is decided. On Friday the 13th of March 2009 the movie will be released throughout Japan ahead of the world.

Needless to say, Dragonball is the great masterpiece comic of Akira Toriyama. It has sold more than 300 million copies in the world so far, and still continue to sell. In this movie, Hollywood’s hopeful good-looking young actor Justin Chatwin plays starring role Goku. He talked about his favorite scenes, “I think it is the action scenes. They are filled with many very ambitious scenes we have never seen before. Kamehameha is very challenging too.”

The brilliant actress Emmy Rossum plays Bulma who travels with Goku. “The emperor Asian movie” Chow Yun-Fat plays Master Roshi. James Marsters plays lord Piccolo. And Japanese world-class actress who is active in Hollywood Eriko Tamura plays Mai. Though many of this movie is still veiled in secrecy, here are four very rare pictures that Shuupure (Weekly Playboy) got secretly. How will Goku prevent the ambitious Piccolo from taking over the world? Next March, its secret will become clear.

Discuss on LegendaryForums.com.

Remember Jump Square’s manga set report last month? Well, here’s the thrilling conclusion to it in this month’s Jump Square magazine. A lot is revealed in these translations, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Justin Chatwin (Goku) appeared in front of them. Goku had blue eyes. The author of this manga (Akiba Zaijuu) felt Justin has a boyish nature, as well as Goku. He was wearing the blue gi, not orange. Justin said “My gi with Kame mark (orange gi) is still in the making. I’m looking forward to see how it will be made. I hope it will become what you all like.” The author remembered he saw and talk with Mayes Rubeo (costume designer) before. She said “I kept trying for the children of the little village I grew up won’t be disappointed with it. I made more than thirty prototypes for only Goku’s gi.” She seemed to be ambitious and having fun, so he felt she sure can make a good costume. And about Justin, his blue gi was cool, but not only the costume design, but his buffed up muscle enhanced his look. Because he has been training for seven months for Goku’s role. The author remembered Goku also have trained for eight months under Master Roshi when Goku was a child in the original. Coincidence?

When the Japanese magazine press interviewed Justin, suddenly the tank top man came into the room. He shouted “Omochi!(rice cake)” in Japanese. He tried to eat Kusa-dango of Asakusa Tokyo (it was souvenir from Japan) there but he accidentally dropped it on the ground and it got dirty with sand. But he didn’t care, he picked it up and ate it. He was a very wild man. The author wondered who he was.

Next Emmy Rossum’s interview. She said her active and cheerful character resembled Bulma. She’s a brilliant young actress and also a good singer. Bulma’s hair is not all blue, but have blue streaks. Make-up artist Mr. Gomez told us the reason that all blue hair is too strong as a live-action, so he was requested not to do that. So he proposed sixteen hairstyle and make-up designs which kept the image of the original, but they were all turned down. After that time he came up with the present hairstyle and make-up. Emmy said, “Did you look at the three-wheeled motorcycle? There are two same motorcycles and they promise I will get one of them after the filming. Other one may be gotten by someone here!” they asked her what her favorite Mexican food was and she said “Gorditas! I like Gorditas.”

Then they interviewed Joon Park, he was [the] wild tank top man before. He resembled an early Yamcha very well, especially eyebrows and eyes. His cheerful character imparted a upbeat atmosphere there. He said, “I wanted to get any small part, I got to audition, and I got the role of Yamcha. I have Japanese friends and I asked him to send the video of Dragonball and I watched them over and over again. But I realized Yamcha didn’t appear in them a lot. Where is Yamcha? looking for him in the video, I studied him.” The author also thought certainly that Yamcha’s appearance is few in the original, and he wondered whether Puar (Yamcha’s pet cat) appeared or not. He asked his company editor, but the editor said “Who cares?” and the author didn’t really care either. Joon also said he collected toy figures made of metal like Mazinger Z.

Next, they interviewed Jamie Chung. She is a crisp girl, her face was expressive, like as a small animal, her lower lip and twinkling almond eyes were adorable. Press men got hot immediately. She resembled kid Chi-Chi rather than adult Chi-Chi. She said her type is a pretty boy.

Next they interviewed Chow Yun-Fat. He is different from the image of Master Roshi than in the original, but he surprisingly matched the lovable mischief and dirty old man perfectly. He said his favorite food is Japanese Ramen. He was very kind enough to take a photo with the author. He said, “I have never played such character, but I could play it happily and passionately.” The author looks forward to seeing him play Muten Roshi.

And James Marsters appeared at last. His cheek line looks just like Piccolo. he said “Were you wearing the Gold Jacket before? I passed you at the hotel didn’t I?” The man he saw at the hotel was James Marsters after all. James shouted, “I am Piccolo! Yes! I’m Picoolo, so I won’t let anyone play Piccolo!” He was full of spirit. His enthusiasm to the role came through intensely, he looked as if he was the real Piccolo for a moment to the author’s eyes. He thought this movie was worth seeing to see James Marsters as Piccolo by itself.

James Marsters (Piccolo) was recently interviewed by Total Sci-Fi, where he briefly mentioned his work on Dragonball. Thanks to Karen for the link.

How was it filming Dragonball in the extensive Piccolo make-up?

The first time we did the make-up, it took 17 hours, so four hours seemed like nothing. My costume looked great, but I couldn’t breathe in it.

Any surprises in doing a big budget movie?

I suspect it’s going to turn out really well, but so much is done in post-production, it’s difficult to gauge. In Durango, they wanted Piccolo to be more beautiful, and I wanted him to be old, decrepit and ugly. There are no mirrors in prison. [The character has been in prison for two thousand years.]

The character started out looking young and beautiful. I went to the make-up artist and said, ‘The producers want the character to be beautiful, but the producers ain’t here. And we’re going to put back with paint what they took away with the sculpt [prosthetics make-up].’ The director agreed with me. I would rather have been fired than mess up Piccolo.

Will fans of the Dragonball and Dragonball Z series like the movie?

There have been some changes, but it’s true to the heart of Dragonball.

Dragonball Movie Blog recently had the opportunity to speak to the head of Ironhead studios, Jose Fernandez. Here’s what he had to say about his work on Dragonball:

DBMB: How did you get involved with Dragonball? Was there some sort of “auditioning” process or where you approached by Fox/James Wong?
JF: I was approached by Fox. I’ve done a handful of films for them, so we have a bit of a relationship.

DBMB: What characters did you work on in this film?
JF: In the early design phase I worked on almost, if not every character. After the initial drawings, the director and studio chose what they did and didn’t want to use. As far as final design and fabrication, I was responsible for Piccolo’s full costume and armor, everything except for his makeup, which ADI was responsible for. I also assisted Mayes Rubeo with realizing Goku’s costume and gei.

DBMB: What was it like working with the cast and crew?
JF: Other than James Marsters, I had little contact with the cast. I was only on set for a couple of days to make sure that the costumes were maintained, and looked the best they could on film.

DBMB: What was James Wong like as a director?
JF: I didn’t have the pleasure of working with James in depth. We met in a few preliminary meetings and e-mailed a few times. He seemed very focused and open to creative ideas.

DBMB: What was James Wong looking for in terms of character design?
JF: Well, James seemed to have a healthy respect for the source material. He wanted to create a memorable world that satisfied fans, but also was grounded in reality.

DBMB: How do you expect post-production to effect the look of certain characters? In what ways do you hope it will?
JF: I can only hope that the post-production work enhances the film. My favorite effects are the ones that seamlessly blend the practical and digital worlds. One world should enhance the other. Believability is always key.

DBMB: Were you familiar with the source material when you joined the project? If not, did you consult the original material for inspiration?
JF: I was not at the time, but there were those around me that were. That said, I immediately immersed myself in the world. Hopefully the fans are pleased.

DBMB: In terms of the styling of the characters you worked on for this film, what were some of the details that James Wong had requested you include?
JF: I specifically remember our conversations concerning Goku. James wanted to make sure that he wasn’t too tailored. He wanted Goku to feel like a timeless warrior. A combination of the new and old. Rather than come out of a superhero factory, Goku pieced together his costume from various sources that were important to him.

DBMB: What was the most challenging part of Dragonball?
JF: The biggest challenge for me specifically were budget and time constraints. I’m always pleasantly surprised with what can be done in a limited amount of time. I look forward to those challenges. They force you to be a problem solver.

DBMB: What directors would you like to work with that you haven’t worked with already?
JF: The new vanguard. Zack Snyder, Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan…. I’m not sure in what capacity he could use me, but I’m a huge fan of Bryan Bird. For me, that guy can do no wrong.

DBMB: And of course I must ask, who is your favorite Dragonball character and why?
JF: I’m a fan of Yamcha. He reminds me of Han Solo. I’ve always been partial to the “loveable rogue” character. They have the most interesting arcs.

As promised, my source has translated the interview with James Marsters (Piccolo) from the August issue of Jump Square magazine. Give it a read!

What is the difference between the original and the live-action movie ?

JM: Definitely the story of this movie is different from the original. But it’s a necessary change because we need to condense the long story of the original for a movie. For example, some characters in the original don’t appear in the movie. And we try to give it a more gritty and graphic (realistic) feeling.

Though there are differences between the two, I think it is all right if the core part of Dragonball remains. I let my son watch the anime’s Dragonball, DBZ and DBGT since he was eight years old. At first, I thought it was too violent, but I realized this is the best show for training to become a true man. True men need not to flaunt themselves. Their calm, gentle and modest but when it comes to the crunch they don’t hesitate to kill the enemy, and I think that’s what Goku is.

Goku is a real man. I know my son received such a message and applied it to his own life. My son doesn’t use violence to others, but he isn’t afraid of his own anger. I think it’s an important thing.

How many hours does it take to apply the make-up?

JM: It takes about four hours. Luckily, my make-up artist is very chatty, we have a lot of chat during the make up.

Please tell us the most remarkable scene in the movie, especially action scenes!

JM: It is the last battle after all! I like playing the battle scene. When I worked for a TV show for seven years, every Friday I fought till sun rise, I felt I would never have such a good time again until now. In addition, I have never gotten terribly hurt (laugh).

Do you talk with other co-stars as well?

JM: When I have a problem, I have a talk with Justin [Chatwin]. At first, we worried about the costumes. We thought it should reflect the spirit of the original, we persisted this thought to the producers. We didn’t want to make our characters beautiful and safe. I talked with Justin, and he agreed with me. So did the director.

What do you care about in acting for this movie?

JM: That’s a good question. Speaking of Piccolo, one word comes into my mind, it’s “loneliness”. Piccolo is always floating in the air in the beautiful landscape, but he never even admires the landscape, he is only thinking or musing and staring at his feet. I think that is a characteristic of piccolo more than anything else. Maybe it must be a characteristic for revenge. He hates himself and blames the people who has trapped him. His desire to kill not only them but their family, furthermore to destroy the city and the planet they live and protect. To get revenge is everything to him. Everything.

How was shooting in Durango?

JM: The desert of Durango is very cold at night (laugh). I was luckily wearing armor, but Goku was freezing at the beginning of shooting. The local people are very kind and get along with us. Besides they love to party very much! If I didn’t have work, I would be willing to join them. They are drinking and singing songs until 4:30 a.m. But I need to sleep for the shooting the next day, after all so I changed the hotel to get away from the partying people.

Finally, please give us a message to our readers in Japan.

JM: Japan is beautiful. Thank you for giving Dragonball to us! It’s an important show to us all and I want you to watch it, especially the young people. I thank the show for a lot of good times with my son. I’ll do my best to meet the high expectations the fans have.

Also, Dragonballfilm posted up a small interview with Texas Battle (Carey Fuller) about his role in the movie. Check it out here.

UPDATE: JPHongUhu posts in the comments that someone else anonymously contacted Christina Inman, confirming the trailer will be released in Japan within two months. As for America, who knows?

We know that a teaser trailer was shown at Cinema Expo 2008 in Amsterdam, but it was never publicly released. Well, now it looks like Christina Inman from Fox has finally acknowledged that and has recently said in an email that a teaser trailer could be released at the end of this month or the beginning of August. Thanks to ANON-UNKNOWN in the comments for bringing this up. Keep in mind she’s not the most reliable source.

Discuss on LegendaryForums.com.

Dragonball Le Film recently received an email from Ben Ramsey (one of the films screenwriters). Unfortunately, he couldn’t comment on if the leaked script we posted weeks ago was real or not, but he does leave a very nice message.

I haven’t read the leaked script so I don’t know if it was one of my drafts or not. Plus I am not at liberty to comment on it one way or the other.

I have not seen the whole film yet but what I’ve seen looks incredible. It was an absolute honor to be a part of Dragonball history. I am big fan of James Wong’s work and I am confident that he made a movie that will thrill die-hard fans and non-fans alike.

I’d like to thank all the fans for their support and for helping to promote the movie. With your help Goku, Roshi, Bulma, Yamchi, Chi Chi and Piccolo will rule the Universe in 2009.

Kamehameha!

Ben

They also received a comment from Cacey Hotchkiss, a camera operator for the film.

Working on Dragonball was a great experience. Jim Wong is incredible. He knows what he wants and won’t quit until he gets his shots.

And DBthemovie reader Sean found an interview with Texas Battle (Carey Fuller), whom briefly mentioned his role in Dragonball.

As far as Dragon Ball, all you’ve got to do is say Dragon Ball and there it is. It’s supposed to be one of the biggest adaptation movies over sees in Asia, as well as in the States. It’s a huge budget, and from Twentieth Century Fox. I’ve been in their movies since I started my career. We’re looking for that to blow up, and definitely there’s going to be sequels, and a trilogy if everything goes right. I’m looking forward to it. I play a character named Carey Fuller, and me and Goku, who is played by Justin Chatwin are going to get into it a little bit, because I don’t like him and he tries to steal my girlfriend, Chi Chi. And I’m not going to go out without a fight.

Lastly, Dragonball-Live interviewed Dan Fraga, one of the films storyboard artists. Here are some of the highlights:

Did you inform yourself and get inspiration on the anime to create your story board ? Were you inspired by Akira Toriyama’s style ?

Before being asked to work on Dragon Ball, I was already a fan of the Anime. I had maybe around 20 issues of the manga, but it was in Japanese, so I really could only look at the pictures. The first time I had ever heard of Dragon Ball was in 1993 when a fellow comic book artist showed me the Anime on a VHS tape. It was a bootleg from Japan. What inspired me most about Dragon Ball Z was the level of energy and dynamics that was put into the action sequences. If anything, that’s what I tried to bring with me to my work on the film.

A lot of rumours are saying that the film will be a PG, Will it definately be a PG and not a PG 13 ? or even an R rated movie ? In our opinion an PG13 or R rated movie is more appropriate for the dragon ball universe ?

While I can’t comment on the Rating of the Dragon Ball film, I will comment on that I’d personally prefer an R rating. My first job on a film was on The Transporter 2. Originally, we filmed an R rated movie, and unfortunately, Luc and Fox wanted more “butts in seats” so it was brought down to PG-13. I really feel that the film suffered because of it. As far as Dragon Ball is concerned, I think that Jim directed an incredible film. I’m sure if his intended cut makes it to the screen, you’ll be happy.