What's IMPORTANT in the Cell saga... MOVIE ADAPTATION QUEST

Stridex · Post by **Stridex** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:24 pm

Desirecampbell-
Totally agree! Need the build-up, and all the growing up! I want from age 12 on, just like the manga.

Like I said in the original post: "to test my theory to it's fullest, I'm adapting the Cell saga (from the moment Freeza returns to the moment Trunks beats Imperfect Cell in his timeline) with all possible plot ruthlessness. I chose this saga as my test because first, I have the necessary tools (all the manga and anime) for this saga, and, frankly, it's my favorite."

If by some miracle in the next year (or ten) some film company with the rights says, "You're our man, your pitch was great", then my immediate response is "Wait until you see my pitch to START the franchise" and go spend a month grinding my face into the computer screen to make the first film. I think I'd stress to my company to make sure they make some great deals on worldwide distribution, because I honestly think up until the Saiya-jin arc ("Z"), the films would be far more successful outside of the USA, but I would hate to just jump in at that point. People forget how good the start of the franchise is, because the states has such an EXTREME focus on Z. Let's be honest, if you heard there was a live action Dragonball movie, as a fan you'd go to see Goku say "Kamehameha" no matter if he was 12 or 42, but people who don't know the story are going to be even more interested with watching this kid grow up and not fully knowing the whole enchilada...

Mr.Piccolo · Post by **Mr.Piccolo** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:00 pm

Looks like you really want to get this project underway. I'll edit this or PM you something a bit more helpful later. Good luck nonetheless.

-Rick

Stridex · Post by **Stridex** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:23 pm

Project's underway... just getting feedback.

I've got two hours of editted footage that I'm still whittling away on, and I'm some five DVD's of material waded through! Thanks for the encouragement!

raz1337 · Post by **raz1337** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:32 am

There are also the episodes in the saga that spend the better part of the episode explaining things.

Ones that come to mind:

Double Trouble for Goku - Roshi's explanation of Goku's annihilation of the Red Ribbon Army
His Name is Cell - Explanation of Cell's origin
Ghosts from Tomorrow - Flashback of Trunks back to his time and the horrors of the Androids in his time
The Horror Won't End - Cell's flashbacks to his creation and the relationship between Gero and the Androids

These episodes were vital to the saga. I'm not sure which of them were filler, but for the anime, they helped to clear a lot of information up, and took a lot of time doing it.

Good luck.

JAPPO · Post by **JAPPO** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:29 am

I like the idea.

Keep in mind this movie has to appeal to non-dragonballz fans (yet) too. But, you probably already knew that and someone is going to yell at me for saying it.

Space Coyote · Post by **Space Coyote** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:47 am

If you want this to work as a live action film, you're probably going to have to re-write whatever saga you are adapting completely. You can be uber-faithful, but in the end you're just going to have your heart broken when you find out the movie can't be three hours and has to be one and a half. Hollywood has this mentality now where they like to keep movies at a short length in order to pack more heads into the theater every night. And don't point to stuff like LoTR, because that was a very very special case. Five hour movie like Bertolucci's 1900 just don't get made anymore, and when they do, they're reserved for art movies and medieval epics from directors with clout, whereas DB is a licensed property, meaning the people who back it financially aren't going to care about the fans, they'll just care about making money off of hyperactive kids. Honestly, if you really want that big of a canvas, you might have to think about doing a mini-series on TV or something, but that would defeat the purpose since we can already watch DB on the small screen.

Still, you should keep at it, since I'm all about following your dreams. I'm just saying prepare for the worst when it comes to having your vision damaged by assholes that don't care about your art they way you do.

Ex-Dubbie369 · Post by **Ex-Dubbie369** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:57 pm

I'm just wondering, if you want to keep the movie Gohan-Centric, would it be a good idea to include the filler scene with the "dream Freeza?" That, or the Trunks special would probably be the way to go for an opening other than intro stuff.

Mystic Jack · Post by **Mystic Jack** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:01 pm

If you really think you can pull it off single handedly, then kudos to you! *tips hat*

Stridex · Post by **Stridex** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:17 pm

*chuckles*

There's nothin' single-handed about it, but a pitch in my pocket can't hurt.

There is no time for filler, and that's pretty much a "period" decision.

As to the "movies cannot be long" argument... yea it's tough to get greenlit if you're long. But when people think of Dragonball... nobody thinks "short". Nobody. Everyone knows it's long, and things go on forever. It's just a part of the franchise, and any executive who really wanted to cash in on the franchise should be intelligent enough to realize how much freaking money people are willing to spend of this franchise. These movies done right.... some people would make a lot of money. And long is right.

JAPPO · Post by **JAPPO** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:36 pm

Dragonball Z Radditz to Vegeta (Saiyan saga). Make it so the movie ends with a conclusion -- no "to be continued" (like the first Star Wars and Matrix films). That way, if the second movie is never made, it will still have an end.

Dragonball Z: Evil Tyrant Freeza Namek to Freeza (Namek, Captain Ginyu, Freeza Saga).
This movie should end with Namek exploding and Goku in the explosion. Do not show signs of him surviving, that is for the 3rd

Dragonball Z: Android Invasion Trunks to Cell (Trunks, Androids, Imperfect Cell, Perfect Cell, Cell Games Saga).
End with a happy ending (great saiyaman would work well

).

OTHER TITLE: Could be called, "Dragonball Z: Perfect Soldier"

Dragonball Z: Stop Buu Now! World Tournament to Kid buu. (Blah blah blah, there is a lot of sagas).
This should be the darkest movie. That would make the ending that much more sweet. End with a conclusion, and for the love of God DO NOT make it a prequel to Dragonball GT.

ALL TITLES WERE NOT THOUGHT OUT. JUST A BASIC IDEA