James Wong Making DRAGON BALL Z

By Will Reynolds / June 25, 2011

CHUD, that they're making a live-action version of the manga/anime series DRAGON BALL Z. James Wong, the prolific TV producer/director (with X-FILES and MILLENNIUM) and the man behind FINAL DESTINATION and THE ONE, will direct the feature in Montreal starting in November. Also at CHUD are casting details, including a description of lead character Goku:-

18 years old, Goku is considered uncool and unpopular at school, but he is in fact an extremely talented martial arts fighter who gets rigorous training from his grandfather, Gohan. After the death of his grandfather by the evil Lord Piccolo, Goku finds his destiny in his grandfather's dying request that he find Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls (of which he has one) in order to prevent Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the dragonballs to take over the world. Trained by Master Roshi, aided by Bulma and Yamcha, friends he meets along the way, Goku proves himself a formidable, almost undefeatable fighter. On many dangerous adventures to find the remaining Dragon Balls and thus save the world, Goku conquers physical and emotional challenges, ultimately saving the world but clearly impelled to spend his life searching for the Dragon Balls with his trusty companions...LEAD

I remember M. Night Shyamalan being linked to this series eons ago but he's now attached to the similar sounding AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. I expect Wong will give the Fox executives exactly what they're looking for. Akira Toriyama originated DRAGON BALL Z in manga form and it was sequelised as an anime series. source - chud