The phenomenally popular Japanese anime/manga franchise created by Akira Toriyama, Dragonball Z, has finally spawned a live-action version. It's still in post-production, but inevitably bits and pieces are rolling onto the blogsphere.
Dragonball Evolution (US-2009; dir. James Wong)
The above poster is for the Japanese release.
Synopsis:
The story begins with Goku, who on his adoptive grandfather Grandpa Gohan's dying request sets out to find the great Master Roshi and to gather all seven Dragonballs -- 0f which he has one. Goku's quest is to obtain the mystical Dragonballs before Piccolo does, in order to prevent the evil Lord Piccolo from using the Dragonballs to take over the world.
This trailer gives the ignorant (me) a bit of a run-down....
Meanwhile, io9.com has revealed what the resident kaiju -- a dragon that turns up to do the sort of apocalyptic things that dragons do -- will look like:
This screenshot comes from a clip you can view on io9.com, where you can also read more about the production.
Mid-range epic fantasy of the dragonish kind, Dragon Hunter can't help sounding a little like Lord of the Rings-lite. Still, it doesn't look too bad.
Dragon Hunter (US-2008; dir. Steve Shimek)
Synopsis:
Orphaned as a baby when his parents were killed in a vicious orc attack, Kendrick of Elwood was raised by his elder brother, Darius. Though only nine at the time, Darius devoted his life to Kendrick's care and to purging orcs from their land.
Now, after years of absence, a new danger emerges, more lethal than the threat of orcs or men. Reports of dragon attacks spread like wildfire through the panicked land. In memory of his mother's prophesies of a mighty Dragon Hunter in their bloodline, Darius leads Kendrick on a perilous journey to the castle of Ocard -- the Dragon Hunter training grounds. As they battle through evil men and orc-infested lands, they align with a band of rogue warriors who swear their allegiance in this hazardous quest.
