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Column by Scott Green

CHUD has heard that James Wong (X-Files, Final Destination) has been hired to write and direct the live action adaptation of Dragon Ball. Cast listing suggest that the movie will be loosely based on the mythical martial arts epic Dragon Ball rather than its more super-heroic follow-up Dragon Ball Z.

Characters listed include an 18 year old Goku, Bulma in her 20's, Yamcha in his 20's, Master Roshi, Lord Piccolo, Mai as Piccolo's lieutenant, Chi Chi, and Goku's grandfather Gohan, who dies at the hands of ninja.

The original Dragon Ball was Akira Toriyama's fanciful pastiche of the Chinese epic Journey to the West.

According to the The Montreal Gazette, the 20th Century Fox film will shoot in Montreal with a budget of $100 million. Production is expected to wrap by July 2008.

Variety is reporting that Fox Atomic has tapped videogame writer JT Petty to script and direct an adaptation of Otsu-ichi's Honkaku Mystery Prize winning horror novel Goth, which was adapted into manga by Kendi Oiwa (who adapted the manga version of Welcome to the NHK).

Described as a gothic love story, the project revolves around two high school teens from opposite sides of the tracks who are forced to come together to take down a serial killer in their hometown.

Kadokawa, which published the original novel and manga comic, will serve as executive producer on the film. Lauren C. Weissman, Jennie Lew Tugend and Shinya Egawa from Kadokawa brought the project to Atomic.

No North America manga distributor has announced that they have licensed the manga.

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