It seems the much talked about Dragonball Movie might just be getting more than questionable looks from the big wigs at Fox. They might can it!
According to our tipster, the higher-ups at Fox are not too impressed the footage that has been shot thus far, and are seriously debating shutting the whole thing down. Now I have no idea if this is a real possibility or if the studio is just putting pressure on director James Wong to deliver, but the movie supposedly has a budget of over $100 million and I can understand them wanting to cut some losses while they still can.
With no presence at Comic Con, the fans were REALLY starting to wonder what was happening with this film.
Some really wanted to see it happen. Others were determined to hate it no matter what you said about it. But it seems it wasn’t the fans at all that are making Fox reconsider. Early footage just doesn’t look good.
I personally don’t think Dragonball has THAT big of a fanbase that it would break the bank if the hardcore fans didn’t go see it. If anything if the promotional material made it look good they would draw in some Dragonball fans to see this non-canon adaptation, but more importantly they would hook much of the audience that just likes to see a good action flick with some supernatural martial arts in it.
But when the guys on the inside are not happy and are willing to consider throwing away their initial investment on it you KNOW it has to be bad. Or at very least this is the message people are going to get.
But remember, this is rumour. We will have to see if there ever will be a Dragonball movie after all.
@CW … thats why this is called an ADAPTATION. And the storyline was never meant to follow DragonballZ, its Dragonball, the previous series.
No one is going to be “confused” because this is not meant to be a direct word for word presentation of the Dragonball story. It is a film ADAPTATION, not Dragonball canon.
You should read the more updated posts about this story.
Lets just be-honest. The fan base is going to hate this one! Why? Because the story line alone is no way near what Dragonball Z is all about. Neither is the casting. Also, we should consider the games produced for PS2 & PS3 in light of this. People already have an expectation from DBZ because of it’s impact on Cartoon Network, toys, game consoles, etc. From what I have seen on the trailer this movie looked lost. If Fox is trying to out-do what’s already been done then they definitely need to come harder! It is going to be one bad night at the movies when this one drops. Might have to make up for it by actually watching the real thing (anime). For the sake of not ruining a perfect franchise, Fox better can it or have a whole community of DBZ fans pissed off or people totally confused when they see this one. Then again, customer loyalty would make people spend their money on garbage they don’t need.
If that’s how far they got with 100 million maybe it would have been decent with a billion.. Just maybe.
In my honest opinion, I must say this movie just DOESN’T need to happen! I think this movie will destroy the legacy that is Dragonball. I would love to see a great DBZ movie, but no effects in the WORLD could capture the anime.
this movie would be terrible. just look at all the terrible actors that are going to be in it.
might as well through a 100 million dollars on top of a big dog turd
RODNEY – you’re right, I HOPE it gets cancelled, or else it might be an unintentionally funny movie.
Slashbeast…. it MIGHT be cancelled.
Don’t count your chickens …
I’m glad that it’s cancelled, I’m a huge Dragonball fan and even I know that the story’s premise would simply not translate into film without making it look completely stupid.
This cancellation news may be fake, but it did cause millions around the world to rejoice, and mere thousands to grieve
This is a rumor first and foremost and a misleading one at that.
Fox has made clear that the movie was delayed to April 2009 because they couldn’t finish all the special effects in time for it’s original August 2008 debut.
That’s all I know.
They have the option to just release it straight to DVD if they thought it sucked. No need to can it.
FALSE.
(i am the all knowing spiderfreak)
Somehow I seriously doubt that this film costs a 100 million dollars.
Oh No.. please don’t scrap it !
I actually look forward to this… might be the best unintentional comedy since Street FIghter the movie !
Look forward to owning a copy of the dvd once it hits the $2.99 discount bin as well !
GO DRAGONBALL ! ! ! ! !
oh I forgot to mention…wasnt dragonball (live action) suppose to be a 3 part series. lol it would suck for the actors if it gets caned.
SuperheroFlix is reporting that the rumor is fake, the higher-ups love the footage, and the movie is still in production:
http://www.superheroflix.com/news/85/30785.php
omg NO!! I was so looking forward to this wreck of a movie! :(
They will choose the route that loses them the the least amount of money. If finishing a movie they know is bad might get them a tiny bit of profit they will go that way.
If they figure spending more money on it now so it can bomb and make nothing, they will likely walk away while they can.
Well if Fox does this we will know that they are complete idiots. Even though Dragonball seems like its going to flop it doesnt mean they should throw in the damn towel. I mean some fans MIGHT enjoy the film, but what fox really needs just to boost hype for the movie is a trailer. It has been more than half a year and all we have just some bullshit pictures of Chatwin posing, COMON they can do better than that. It would be a straight up waste of 100m just to get half way and just bitch out, give the fucking movie a chance.
i’ve been a dragonball fan for over 10years and was not excited about a live adaption (hollywood always ends up messing up movies like that). The only reason i was gonna go see was because of Emmy Rossum. Ahhh Emmy !!!! lol
Anyways I dont think its being caned their almost finished and they invested more than 100 million.
For all you idiots out there saying the movie looks like crap…. um where are you getting this?
Have you seen some trailer not ever released yet?
Are you purely basing this off of pics of Chatwin posing?
Can you please shut it, because you look like idiots telling your opinion about some make believe footage that only exists in you mind.
They won’t can it, they’ve used too much money. And even if they didn’t think it was good, with the movie this far in production, they would release it and be able to make up most of their losses.
The hardcore fans would’ve seen it no matter what, that’s just a fact.
Bad or good.
Direct to DVD anyone?
The worst thing I’ve seen about this movie so far is the crossed wires they have with their marketing and public relations. America and Japan are releasing different things about this movie and making their own posters and magazine articles which completely contradict each other in terms of what to expect. Fox didn’t even know about those Japanese posters before we did (Christina Inman at Fox keeps telling fans that she has no idea where these things are coming from.) Then you’ve got the movie sites which keep announcing fan-work as official promotions, which then piss everyone off.
So far, the only positive thing I have to go on is James Marsters’ incredibly enthusiastic word, and that sweet picture of Bulma’s motorcycle.
I hope it does get canned if only because of the long running history of Japanese franchises making less-tha-successful films. Gojira (1954) turned into Godzilla (1998) and was considered the summer’s biggest flop (budget to gross). Mach Go Go Go became Speed Racer, which I actually liked, and grossed less than a third of its production budget stateside.
Dragonball is falling into the same category. Everyone posting knows the changes (Goku attends a hi-tech high school instead of living out in the rural mountains of China, No bald side-kick or talking animals, no major kai energy attacks until the films end fight scene, badly realized outfits) and I for one DON’T like them. Some do, okay. Dragonball was magical and strange and funny. This film looks like a bad Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement shot is Mexico… I mean China. Toriyama was fired from this production in the early 2000s when Fox first bought the rights because he was fervent about creative control. To think, the creator wants some control. He was on the payroll too. If Toriyama isn’t pleased, and Stephen Chow (a producer of the film) isn’t pleased, and the other executives aren’t pleased, they need to scrap it instead of sinking another 40 million into advertising and 30 million into post.
Now my argument isn’t a sound one. Transformers had a bit of its origins in Japan and it was the third highest grossing film last summer. But Dragonball deserves something grand and special. Not this mess.
Culoody shut up if you have nothing good to post……PERIOD!
I hope they dont shelve it I want to see Spike in make up as Piccolo
I hope it doesn’t get canceled. It’s freakin’ Stephen Chow producing it. I want to see what the hell they’ve put together. Last I heard, Fox was at odds about the Piccolo make-up and didn’t want to market it because he didn’t look sexy enough.
Even if the movie gets cancelled, it will still end up as a fascinating documentary about a film that never was, i’m willing to bet. It will be a bit like ‘Lost in La Mancha’ only they managed to get a little bit more shot.
So you know this for fact spiderfreak? or are you just offering a counter rumour for this rumour.
FALSE
i dont want to see this movie canceled, i was also expecting the worst, but after watching the forbidden kingdom it gave me new hope.
sure FK had its flaws but its still a fun movie with very good action & it also made money. i hope the people making DB took notice & make it something like that.
Before reading my comment, know these facts:
1) I think what we seen in terms of promotions thus far doesn’t kick the tires and light the fires.
2) The fanbase is limited, although a good pic could be done, it may be for naut;
3) I am not one of the fanbase
And with all that , here is this:
Like most of the above commenters, I, too thought the film was in post or at least getting near that stage. I also think that this is a blown up rumor that some anti- Dragonball bullshit artist put out there and folks are buying into it.
I don’t think the lack of footage/promtion at last month’s comic con means the film is in trouble Give me a break!
That means squat.
If the film were in the early stages, and there were many production problems and other setbacks, the internet fanboy community would be all over it.
Even if the rumor held water, Fox would want to recoup losses somehow. Best case is they pimp it out to another studio after washing their hands. (Except WB, ha,ha) Worst case is to assemble whatever footage they can, change release dates a few times, let it die horribly in January to early Feburary, (not with a bang but a whimper); and then, Wal-Mart Video Dumpster.
Now, it IS a possibilty that Dragonball’s budget got slashed at least by 1/4. That I’ll buy. But this isn’t dead. It’s not on life support. Dragonball is coming.
Are we looking forward to it? Not at this time.
@Mozzerino:
I’m sure Fox execs did read the script. The script would have nothing to do with a studio pulling the plug unless it was tossed out in the first few days and a new one was cooked up in a week before production. It could also be that script was rewritten so much that it wasn’t the script the execs read.
On the other hand, this is Fox, so, writers could have been given the assignment, wrote the crap they are hired to write, and then get the hell out of Dodge.
Before reading my comment, know these facts:
1) I think what we seen in terms of promotions thus far doesn’t kick the tires and light the fires.
2) The fanbase is limited, although a good pic could be done, it may be for naut;
3) I am not one of the fanbase
And with all that , here is this:
Like most of the above commenters, I, too thought the film was in post or at least getting near that stage. I also think that this is a blown up rumor that some anti- Dragonball bullshit artist put out there and folks are buying into it.
I don’t think the lack of footage/promtion at last month’s comic con means the film is in trouble Give me a break!
That means squat.
If the film were in the early stages, and there were many production problems and other setbacks, the internet fanboy community would be all over it.
Even if the rumor held water, Fox would want to recoup losses somehow. Best case is they pimp it out to another studio after washing their hands. (Except WB, ha,ha) Worst case is to assemble whatever footage they can, change release dates a few times, let it die horribly in January to early Febuary, (not with a bang but a whimper); and then, Wal-Mart Video Dumpster.
Now, it IS a possibilty that Dragonball’s budget got slashed at least by 1/4. That I’ll buy. But this isn’t dead. It’s not on life support. Dragonball is coming.
Are we looking forward to it? Not at this time.
@Mozzerino:
I’m sure Fox execs did read the script. The script would have nothing to do with a studio pulling the plug unless it was tossed out in the first few days and a new one was cooked up in a week before production. It could also be that script was rewritten so much that it wasn’t the script the execs read.
On the other hand, this is Fox, so, writers could have been given the assignment, wrote the crap they are hired to write, and then get the hell out of Dodge.
@ BAMBAMALAKAZAAM
Thats Emmy Rossum.
Now I’m not a huge Dragonball fan. I have the first season of Dragonball Z on dvd and watch it occasionally for mindless fun. Do I think that this movie is going to be total shit. Yes. Will I still see it out of curiousity. Yes.
The movie will probably get panned and make 50-70 mil at the box office, but if you have this movie amd it’s almost complete, just finish it, release it, and let the fans have it. Will it draw much more than that, probably not, but their is an audience.
seriously, thats a good news because the movie is just ugly and that will dissapoint dragon ball fans!
Oh sweet irony.
I’m sure that it will most likely be released but without any fanfare. There is nothing in this film that will draw Joe Six Pack to the theaters.
uhm… who is the girl in the poster? she looks hawt! lol.
whoa lots of mixed post here.
Well i have no idea what Dragon Ball is all about, cept the kung-fu part. But i think this goes for everything, if its not up to expectations/standards or its just plain bad, can it or redo whatever it is necessary to make it better(if the studio is willing to spend more than they already have that is, which i doubt most studio will.) So in most cases it will be caned. Sux for fans, sux for everyone i guess. Its like having StarWars Phantom Menace coming out first waaay before “a new hope”. The franchise wont shine that way. for any franchise.
They’re just going to shut it down, declare that a good Live action DBZ movie can’t be made, wait for Warner Bros. to make a kick-ass DBZ movie, and then sue them.
If the movie is done filming and is in the process of editing, let it proceed. It will not hurt Fox studios to release this film. I understand the movie will not be a blockbuster hit or anything period. My only problem with Fox scratching the project, is the fans of Dragon Ball. The fans that were exited a featured film was being made and released world wide. They have been waiting and waiting. For what, corporate America to say F*** Y** were not showing it. I have read some comments in regards to this movie with alot of negative feedback. Don’t watch the movie if you think its not worthy of your time. But when you pass it by the shelves at Blockbuster giving it that second look and thinking back when they almost scraped the whole project. What will you do?
I don’t honestly care one way or another what happens with this film. My only opinion on it is that Justin Chatwin is quite possibly the best casting I have ever seen for a cartoon to live action adaptation. He looks perfect.
Please God, make this happen. The film looks like shit.
just to let you know, Dragonball already finished filming. It’s just in the post stage right now. It’s a pretty bad time to cancel a project, don’t you think? They’ve done all the filming, and probably edited a ton of footage already and have some special effects work done.
I say just finish the project and see if the special effects and explosions will lure the audience in. They usually do that and it seems to work every single time.
I’m with PADTHAL on this one.
How can they commission a 100plus Million Dollar project and through they middle of making the movie just say” Well….we’re kinda not in the mood anymore, fuck it!”?
Haven’t they like I don’t know READ THE SCRIPT or something? Surely they knew what they we’re getting into when they green light this thing in the first place. Even an idiot company like FOX wouldn’t just can the whole project after spending probably a lot of money already.
Not that I would be sad or anything, I don’t give a shit about DRAGONBALL and therefore won’t see it anyway. Of course was that film a stupid idea, but they probably should have realized that before they shot the fucking thing.
Doesn’t really matter anyway, if FOX really tries to stop the release of WATCHMEN (and god forbids succeeds) I’m never watching a movie produced by this company ever again.
I could see this movie making about 65-70mil at the box office by the end of its run. im no fan, just a guess.
How can they can a 100 million dollar project?
It seems really ridiculous to do such a thing. Seriously, they can’t spend that much money on a movie and just throw it on the DVD shelves.
i believe this movie is done filming, if they would have kept their original release date it would have been out by now. could they actually scrap this movie this far in the game? i guess maybe they havent done the special effects, with a 100 mil budget & no big stars thats probably where the money is going.
however, i hope this does not happen. even if they dont like it i still might. it would really suck if it got cancelled before we even got a trailer for it.
They either need to cancel it or start over, since from what has been seen now it doesn’t look all that great.
Hopefully all this IS just rumor. I am one of those people looking forward to seeing DBZ on the Big Screen.