As movie studios mine the pop landscape in their search for the next generation of tentpole flicks, their eyes are increasingly turning east -- the Far East. Emerging as a particularly fertile source for fresh material is the world of Japanese comic books and animation, referred to as "manga" and "anime," respectively.
The Japanese Pipeline
A scan of recent headlines from industry trades illustrates the trend: Dreamworks is planning a big-budget adaptation of Garon Tsuchiya's revenge tale Oldboy, to be helmed by Hollywood's most successful director, Steven Spielberg, and starring its most bankable actor, Will Smith. Leonardo DiCaprio, meanwhile, is currently developing two manga/anime-based adaptations, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi Akira and the feudal epic Ninja Scroll, for Warner Bros. via his Appian Way banner. And next October Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the blockbuster teen vampire flick Twilight, will be releasing a CG-animated adaptation of Astro Boy.
Foremost on the minds of manga/anime fans these days, however, is the impending release of Dragonball, Fox's live-action adaptation of Akira Toriyama's legendary manga series Dragon Ball. A potent mix of fantasy, humor, and martial-arts action, Dragon Ball consistently ranked among Japan's most popular manga titles during an 11-year run in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump that ended in 1995, spawning a massive franchise that today includes innumerable spinoffs, animated series, videogames, and more.
The American Movie
The franchise even managed to make a dent in the States, with the English dub of the animated series Dragon Ball Z, based on the later volumes of Toriyama's original manga, expanding beyond the sparse Anime aisle at the local video store and enjoying a successful run on the Cartoon Network. (Its ill-fated follow-up, the much-maligned Dragon Ball GT, remains a sore spot for DB fans.)
It seemed only a matter of time, then, that folks in Hollywood would take notice of the phenomenon and seek to capitalize on the franchise's unique crossover appeal. While studio interest in a live-action Dragon Ball flick dates back to at least 2002, the project didn't gather serious legs until the fall of 2007, when Fox recruited Stephen Chow, the Hong Kong-bred actor filmmaker behind the martial arts comedies Shaolin Soccer and Kung-Fu Hustle, to rewrite the script and serve as a producer on the project. James Wong (Final Destination 3, Jet Li's The One) was hired to direct, the title was tweaked slightly, and Dragonball was born.
A Daunting Task
Why did it take so long for Dragonball to get off the ground? For one, the task of adapting a Japanese comic for film isn't as straightforward as it might be for its American counterparts. Whereas key characters in mainstream American titles like Spider-Man and Batman remain relatively unchanged from year to year, manga characters typically don't. They grow older, get married, have kids, change allegiances, and more. For a series spanning 519 chapters, merely deciding where to begin could be the biggest challenge of all.
Toriyama's original Dragon Ball manga began simply enough. Here's a synopsis of the DB mythology, taken from Gerard Jones' English adaptation of the first volume:
"Deep in the mountains lived an innocent boy named Son Goku, until he was found by Bulma, a girl from the city who was searching for the seven magical Dragon Balls. According to legend, when all the Dragon Balls are brought together, Shen Long -- the eternal dragon -- will appear and grant any one wish."
As one might guess, the ability to have any wish granted could be quite catastrophic in the hands of the wrong person. As such, Dragon Ball's plots often revolved around the heroes trying to prevent the villains from finding all seven balls.
Not So Fast
Seems straightforward enough, right? Over the course of its 11-year arc, however, Dragon Ball's storyline became significantly more complicated. Toriyama often altered the series' mythology to suit whatever course each story took, later integrating various supernatural elements like alien species and cyborgs. New characters were introduced while others died off, only to be revived later. Little Goku eventually grew up and had a son of his own, Gohan, who soon followed in his father's footsteps.
The one aspect that remained constant throughout the series was the fighting: Each week, key characters faced each other in climactic martial arts battles, showing off their "signature moves," like Goku's legendary "Kamehameha," named after the Hawaiian king. (The fighting element, with its near-infinite variety of interesting characters and fighting styles, is one of the primary reasons why Dragon Ball has translated so well to the videogame world.)
Stumbling Blocks
Dealing with source material so rich and complicated -- and with such a fervent fanbase -- it's easy to see why a live-action adaptation might run into problems in its path to the big screen. Perhaps not surprisingly, Dragonball's production has been plagued from the outset by rumors of on-set turmoil, with an ever-shifting release date adding fuel to the speculation.
How much of the original manga's mythology made it into Dragonball is unclear, as details about the project have proven exceedingly difficult to come by. Fox hasn't so much as released an official synopsis for Dragonball, forcing fans to extrapolate story details from scattered interviews with cast members, a bootleg trailer, and a succession of leaked photos that have popped up on various blogs and fansites.
The Cast
Here's a quick rundown of key Dragonball characters, with descriptions culled from the original manga, along with the actors who'll be playing them.
 
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-- Naïve, precocious, and unfailingly optimistic, the monkey-tailed Goku possesses an enthusiasm for martial arts training that is surpassed only by his voracious appetite. Discovered as an infant by an elderly martial arts master who raised him as his own, Goku is very much a "country boy" by nature. Oh, and he has a tendency to turn into a giant "monster-monkey" whenever he looks at a full moon -- a transformation dubbed "Oozaru."
In his book The Complete Guide to Manga, author Jason Thompson describes Goku as possessing "a playful, Jackie Chan-like spirit.... No matter how strong he gets, Goku never loses his childish spirit: clueless, obstinate, totally good-natured."
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-- A wise, eccentric old hermit who keeps a talking turtle as his assistant, Roshi agrees to supervise Goku's martial arts training after learning that the boy's adopted grandfather, Gohan, has died. Referred to variously as a "stinky old weirdo" and "dirty old man" by other characters, Roshi is an unabashed skirt-chaser.
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-- The first human girl Goku has ever met, crafty, headstrong Bulma recruits the impressionable lad to join her quest to find the seven Dragon Balls after seeing him demonstrate his unusual strength. Aiding in their search is Bulma's groundbreaking invention, the Dragon Radar, a high-tech device that makes finding the illusive orbs significantly easier.
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-- The high-strung daughter of a powerful mountain lord who joins Bulma and Goku on their quest for the Dragon Balls, Chi Chi is easily excitable and has a tendency to overreact. In the original manga, Goku and Chi Chi eventually marry.
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-- Referred to as a "desert bandit" in the original manga, Yamcha is a thief and hustler who decides to take up the cause of the good guys, Han Solo-style. He is usually accompanied by Puar, a mouse-like creature with shape-shifting abilities.
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-- The principal villain in Dragonball, Piccolo is a green-skinned, pointy-eared alien who aspires to use the power of the Dragon Balls to conquer earth. In the original manga, Piccolo (or at least a version of Piccolo -- it's complicated) reemerges as a good guy after suffering defeat at the hands of Goku.
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That's just about all we know at this point. Dragonball premieres in Japan on March 13, 2009, and opens in the States on April 8, 2009. Fox is reportedly planning to release the official trailer on December 12. In the meantime, be sure to check back often for Dragonball updates.