Merrick here...


After various setbacks, Fox is finally spinning up its live action movie adaptation of DRAGONBALL.

Justin Chatwin will play heroic Goku. Chatwin's done a ton of stuff, including Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS.

James Marsters (Spike on BUFFY) will play Piccolo, the badguy. Stephen Chow (writer/producer/director of KUNG FU HUSTLE & writer/director of SHAOLIN SOCCER) will produce.

The story follows an adult humanoid alien named Goku, who discovers that he was sent to Earth to blend in and destroy our population but instead elects to protect it from an oncoming alien onslaught bent on dominating the universe and controlling the mystical objects from which the film takes its name.

...says THIS ARTICLE in Hollywood Reporter.

The film will be directed by James Wong (Exec Producer & frequent writer of SPACE: ABOVE & BEYOND, THE X-FILES and MILLENNIUM - he also directed Jet Li's THE ONE and FINAL DESTINATION).

We may be get DRAGONBALL as early as August 15, 2008. Seems like a tight fit...we'll see.