If Disney does make their own live action Dragon Ball films, what would be your hopes?

[WittyUsername]

I assume this kind of topic warrants its own separate thread, and with the deal with Disney and Fox being more or less confirmed, I thought this would be an interesting thing to speculate on.

Assuming the film rights don’t go back to Toei, what would you be expecting or hoping for from a live action reboot by Disney? Would something like that have the potential to be good, or is Dragon Ball simply impossible to do justice in live action? For that matter, does Dragon Ball have any potential as a Hollywood franchise?

[Forte224]

I'm on the side that feels a live action Dragon Ball film defeats the purpose of Dragon Ball, when so much of its charm comes from its art style which is completely gone when you go live action. A.k.a. I feel like no matter what is done, it just won't work.

But, if they did do it, I guess I'd hope they don't try to make it a safe, conservative film that just looks like every other action film out there and has a generic soundtrack. Get a little weird with it, get colorful with it, don't be afraid to get rights to and use music straight from the series, etc.

Either way, a live action Dragon Ball movie announcement won't offend or excite me. I'll just go meh, maybe see it if it has some promise, and move on.

[Kuwabara]

I hope they don't make live-action Dragon Ball films at all if their other adaptations of animated material are anything to go by. They're often stilted and lifeless, with very boring color sense. It boggles my mind that Disney can't even get this right, it reeks of corporate cynicism and contempt for their own audience and creative history... Par for the course, I suppose.

[Hellspawn28]

I rather if they don't. I don't even like their newer SW movies and most of the MCU is so-so at best. Even their live action remakes like Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book are crap in my opinion.

[sintzu]

1- They get someone who can make good movies and understands the source material.

2- They take their time with the stories instead of telling too many in one movie.

3- They give it the budget and marketing it needs to succeed.

4- They get actors who somewhat look the part and can pull it off.

[Gligarman]

If this were to become a reality then all hope would be lost.

[KBABZ]

I don't think there's been a single live-action anime adaptation that looked as appealing as the original. Even live-action adaptations of western animated properties like Scooby Doo and whatnot tend not to work. So it's best left to staying animated.

[DiegoBrando]

I would have none.

[DragonBallFoodie]

I don't want Disney to own everything, but Akira Toriyama has cited Disney as an influence on his work, so this may be okay.

Of course, Disney today is bigger and more corporate than before, so DB runs the risk of being another cashgrab.

[sintzu]

I don't want Disney to own everything, but Akira Toriyama has cited Disney as an influence on his work, so this may be okay.

Of course, Disney today is bigger and more corporate than before, so DB runs the risk of being another cashgrab.

Disney won't own DB, just the rights to make a live action movie. Everything animated will be from Toei as usual.

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

1. Conceptually the story would be akin to Path of Power movie, a mix of Hunt for the DBs and the Red Ribbon Army.

2. Script writing by Rian Johnson and directing by Guillermo del Toro.

3. 75% of the movie should be at least martial arts focused, with lots of hand to hand combat and some wacky techniques (and perhaps even brand new for the franchise) here and there.

4. For creativity I'd make Bulma the protagonist of the story instead while Goku is the hero that tags along with her.

[Kuwabara]

Script writing by Rian Johnson and directing by Guillermo del Toro.

Why this particular combo?

[WittyUsername]

Rian Johnson is currently a pariah among a number of internet circles.

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

Script writing by Rian Johnson and directing by Guillermo del Toro.

Why this particular combo?

Johnson, I love what he did with The Last Jedi and del Toro is a remarkable auteur director that could give some interesting flavour to the movie.

[TrunksTrevelyan0064]

I have little to no faith in any live action Dragon Ball film ever doing the source material justice, but if it really has to happen again, all I ask for is that Jackie Chan plays Jackie Chun.