Chow rolls to Fox for 'Dragonball'

Chow Yun-Fat is the latest to join 20th Century Fox's live-action adaptation of "Dragonball."

Chow will play Master Roshi. He rounds out a cast that includes Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Emmy Rossum and Jamie Chung. Chow is repped by CAA.

"Dragonball" is shooting in Mexico City and Los Angeles.

The film, directed by James Wong, follows Goku (Chatwin), a warrior alien who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the universe and controlling mystical objects known as Dragon Balls. Stephen Chow is producing.

Master Roshi is Goku's mentor, helping him achieve the highest state of fighting and spiritual powers.

Rossum roars onto 'Dragonball' cast

Emmy Rossum has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox's live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese comic "Dragonball."

"Heroes" actress Eriko Tamura, who plays Mai, and newcomer Joon Park, who plays bad boy Yamcha, are also coming aboard the film.

Rossum, who starred in "The Phantom of the Opera," joins a cast that includes Justin Chatwin, James Marsters and Jamie Chung.

The sci-fi adventure is being directed by James Wong. Stephen Chow, the filmmaker behind "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer," is producing.

Rossum's credits include "Poseidon," "Mystic River" and "The Day After Tomorrow." She recently released the album, "Inside Out," on Geffen Records and has a bundle of Christmas music available on iTunes.

Rossum is repped by CAA and Benderspink.

Tamura is repped by McKeon-Myones Entertainment and the law firm of Jackoway Tyerman.

Park is a former member of the Korean pop group G.O.D., one of the highest-selling acts in Asia. His credits include the upcoming film "Speed Racer" where he plays a Yakuza driver. He is repped by Essential Talent Management in Los Angeles and JYP Entertainment in Korea.

Chung goes live with 'Dragonball'

Jamie Chung has joined Justin Chatwin and James Marsters in Fox's "Dragonball," the live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese comic.

James Wong is directing the science fiction action-adventure, which centers on an adult humanoid alien named Goku (Chatwin) who, after discovering he was sent to Earth to destroy the population, tries to fulfill the wish of his dying grandfather and collect all seven of the world's mystical Dragon Balls to keep them out of the hands of the evil aliens.

Chung will play Chi Chi, the love interest of Goku when he's growing up.

Marsters ("Buffy, the Vampire Slayer") plays the evil Piccolo, who tries to take over the world.

"Dragonball," which is being produced by Stephen Chow, is one of the most successful Japanese cultural exports of all time.

Created by Akira Toriyama and published by Tokyo's Jump Comics, the manga was adapted into graphic novels, video games and a successful television series that ran in Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America.

Chung, whose credits include ABC's "Samurai Girl" and "Greek," is repped by Gersh and Kritzer/Levine/Wilkins Entertainment.

Dragon Ball Movie: Camila Sodi Casted as Bulma?

New details of the cast of the Dragon Ball movie were released today. According to Mexican TV gossip show Caiga Quien Caiga, the producers of the movie are looking to cast a few top Mexican actors for roles in the movie, which will shoot in Durango, Mexico. The strongest of these rumors comes as news that Camila Sodi, famous Mexican actress auditioned for the role of Bulma.

Should this rumor prove to be true I would do nothing but approve (unlike with previous castings) of the move as the resemblance in both appearance and attitude are an excellent match. Still this should be taken with a grain of salt, after all this does comes from a TV gossip show.

Dragon Ball Movie More Details Emerge

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.

'Dragonball' Movie Greenlit

Twentieth Century Fox is moving ahead with the production of a live action Dragonball movie. Justin Chatwin (who played Tom Cruise's disaffected teenage son in War of the Worlds) is already in training with the stunt performance company 87Eleven (The Matrix, 300, The Bourne Supremacy) for the role of Goku, while James Marsters (Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will portray the villainous Piccolo. James Wong (a writer/exec on the X-Files) is directing with Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) producing. Production is slated to begin later this year with the goal of an August 15th, 2008 release.

Akira Toriyama's Dragonball is Japan's most successful cultural export of all time -- it has generated more than $4 billion in merchandising sales. More than a decade after DBZ's first home video release in the U.S., FUNimation's Dragonball Z Season Sets are still among the top 5 anime releases of the year.

November 14, 2007
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It's Chatwin vs. Marsters in Dragon Ball Z

20th Century Fox has set Justin Chatwin (The Invisible, War of the Worlds) to play Goku and James Marsters ("Smallville," "Angel," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as the villain Piccolo in Dragon Ball Z.

In the big screen adaptation, Goku is a powerful warrior who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the universe and controlling the mystical objects from which the film takes its name.

Actor/writer/director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) is producing. Final Destination helmer James Wong will direct from a script he wrote. Ben Ramsey wrote an earlier draft.

The story is based on Akira Toriyama's popular manga that has spawned graphic novels, a long-running TV series and more than 25 video games. The Jump Comics division of Tokyo-based Shueisha published the "Dragon Ball" manga.

With shooting scheduled to begin later this month, Fox will bow the sci-fi/adventure worldwide Aug. 15. Chatwin has already begun training with 87Eleven, the stunt performance company behind the action sequences in The Matrix, The Bourne Supremacy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and 300.

November 13, 2007
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