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[Represent.]

I know this show doesn't lend itself to live action well at all. Dragonball evolution is quite possibly the worst film i've ever seen. An abomination to a great franchise.

BUT,

Hypothetically, if this series was allocated a LEGIT budget and given to, first off, a FAN of the source material, with actual TALENT, then you're damn right it could work and actually surprise us.

Question is - Which arc, out of the DBZ portion of the franchise, do you think would best lend itself to be adapted into a live action, big budget Hollywood film?

Me personally I think its the Saiyan/Vegeta saga that wins out.

 

[The Hamburglar]

Give me Ben Kingsley playing master Roshi for 90 Minutes reading magazines and picking up ladies.

there’s your arc

 

[Sleepwalker]

I think either the Vegeta saga or the Android Saga would be the best as the alien creatures/monsters usually look dumb in these kind of live action films. The more characters than can be played by an actual believable human without much CGI, the better so the androids fit well for this.

 

[brap]

None.

 

[Codes 208]

Saiyan saga is a bit more grounded with its characters (it’s basically the turning point of when dragon ball becomes dragon ball z.)

but man I would love to see goku’s first super saiyan transformation in live action.

 

[Represent.]

Future Trunks arc could be done well, shit is the Terminator 2 story. Just add in Man of Steel esque cinematography and youd have it

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Galactic Prisoner Arc

 

[kingbean]

None.

 

[Reptars Revenge]

Dragon ball

 

[Represent.]

Galactic Prisoner Arc

wouldnt be too bad.. Moro could easily be done with good CGI and there hasnt been too much crazy out there stuff yet.

 

[Ikutachi]

 

[Tschumi]

Can i just same that live action DBZ is an awful idea?

Android/Cell sequence.. when they finally developed some interesting plot threads and a sense of a wider world

 

[newtypepilot]

the driving school arc

 

[20cent]

Great Saiyaman arc

 

[Master Of Illusion]

It's impossible.

 

[Hinedorf]

You'd need 3 movies to setup any ARC unless you're doing a Game of Thrones styled rape job, look how fans loved that.

 

[Melfice7]

Its impossible, but i suppose the best would be androids

 

[V4skunk]

It has to be Freiza saga. But Android and Cell saga would be next.

 

[BaneIsPain]

None. If you insist, please do non canon live action of Mr.Satan.

 

[GAMETA]

None. No shounen manga/anime should be made into live-action.

 

[Zambatoh]

I think, if anything, it would be the whole Bardock storyline. It'd be a great way to set up a whole trilogy of films as well as introduce new audiences to the lore of the Dragonball universe.

 

[royox]

Android Saga + Cell Games. It has the best setting for a trilogy.

1st Movie: Trunks comes from the Future, tells everybody what's gonna happen. Some flashbacks of Trunks training with Gohan and his death. Movie ends with Cliffhanger showing the shadow of cell in front of Piccolo.
2nd Movie: Mr.Perfect Cell Saga. Ending when Goku says "It's your Turn, Son Gohan".
3rd Movie: Gohan vs Cell. After that the movie focuses on Trunks returning to his future and beating Cell and the androids there.


Sayian Saga it's just Fight, Train, Fight, Goku arrives, end. Same with Namek. Travel, a lot of Vegeta fighting and Krillin and Gohan flying here and there and a final battle. Cell saga is the most complex with more character development and totally looks planned and not rushed or Toriyama getting stuck himself.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

Dragon Ball was influenced by the story of Superman. Watching Man of Steel, you almost get that live-action DBZ fix, but it's not quite the same, of course.
Alien raised on Earth, members of his species come to annihilate earth, over the top aerial battles. It's practically the Saiyan Saga.

 

[Cleared_Hot]

Hmm android/cell saga would be the coolest though. But yeah it's a no brainier that the cell saga would work easiest.


Will it ever happen?!?!

 

[Fbh]

Look there's no way it wouldn't suck. So the best you can do is make it suck in a way that puts it in the "so bad it's good" tier (which the original live action movie came close to).

And what better saga for that than Boo:
- Awful Gohan in highschool intro
- CGI Fat Boo acting dumb for half the movie alongside real actors.
-Terrible child actors playing Trunks and Goten
- Weird uncanny valley VFX on the fusions (also the fusion dance)
-This Stuff:

 

[ExpandKong]

Gotta be Frieza arc for me, but I feel like it needs the whole Bardock thing as a first movie (the beginning of the DBS Broly movie was pretty good) and the Saiyan arc as a second movie.

I guess that kinda defeats the purpose of asking for only one movie though oops.

 

[Soltype]

3 movies for the saiyan saga would be good.First to get you attached to goku and have him die at the end.Second will be z warriors training and losing to Saiyan's and ends with everyone dying and goku coming back.Third is goku fighting the saiyans.

 

[Sub_Level]

None. No shounen manga/anime should be made into live-action.

This. Who would make a movie about a man who came to Earth as an alien baby from a dying world. He has supernatural strength, speed, and flight. Bad actors from his birth planet come to harass his newfound home. These antagonists call him by his true alien birth name that starts with a K.

Who would make a movie like that. There's no market for that.

 

[GAMETA]

This. Who would make a movie about a man who came to Earth as an alien baby from a dying world. He has supernatural strength, speed, and flight. Bad actors from his birth planet come to harass his newfound home. These antagonists call him by his true alien birth name that starts with a K.

Who would make a movie like that. There's no market for that.

The problem is the anime aesthetics, and I don't mean the character visuals per see, but camera angles, powers, shouts, the over the top and dramatic screaming... it's a media that is defined by stretching, deformation of movement, stylized movement and so on... none of that translates well into reality.

Super Man comics were always portrayed as more realistic, so the transition is much easier.

That's not to say a more grounded seinen couldn't be done. Something like Akira, 20th century boys, or even Berserk could work... DBZ, Naruto, One Piece, etc? Nah, it's too stylized.

 

[0neAnd0nly]

If the team that made Alita was given a similar budget to make a DB/DBZ movie, I would have faith.

they proved they can adapt the material well. And the fight scenes would be amazing.

 

[PSlayer]

Sayan saga is the more grounded one.

No super sayan mode,the enemies are human looking,the power level is not too crazy yet.

I think in a order of easier to adapt to harder i would say:

Sayan saga > Cell Saga > Freeza Saga > Buu saga

 

[oagboghi2]

I feel like the time between Android and Cell was DBZ at it's most streamlined and focused, while retaining all the popular elements of the show.

The downside it requires knowledge of the show, and that would disqualify it from consideration

 

[Kenpachii]

That superman movie was straight up vegeta arc. so we already got that.

 

[bender]

I've never seen DBZ but Majin Boo sounds like a sweet little ole granny who cooks delicious Cajun food.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Cell Saga, I feel good about the androids, Gohan doing his thing in the chamber etc.

 

[NahaNago]

Live action would suck because of the craziness of the bad guys half the time. The best possible live action I could see happening would be at the very start of Dragon Ball Z when they fight Raditz. The problem would still be weird looking live action piccolo. I do think cg cartoon would work a lot better for anime.

 

[manfestival]

The Evolution arc