In an interview with Informador, Mexican actress Gabriela de la Garza revealed she had a role in Dragonball.

“My character is virtual! It’s like a computer, to all who arrive to the city and want communicate with her, gives them instructions. The hairstyle, clothing, everything was fantastic. ”

The actress explains further that “always shot my scenes with green screen (green screen that allows overlay landscapes) and James Wong was directing me, is a great filmmaker.

The article goes on to say that the film’s setting will be futuristic.

Almost a year ago, the director James Wong was visiting several countries, including Mexico, looking for the perfect place to shoot the film version of live action, Dragon Ball. And he was convinced by Durango, where are deserts and snow and Santa Fe, in the Federal District, to recreate the atmosphere of the original comic by Akira Toriyama.

In the first place he recreated the fight of Goku and the devil Piccolo, as happens in the animated television series and in the second a city of the future.

Jamie Chung (Chi-Chi) was recently interviewed by Variety Japan, where she talks a little about Dragonball. Thanks to my source in Japan for the translation.

Jamie Chung, she appeared at the interview room in very high tension. As soon as she found out I was Japanese, she asked me the question, “Is it true that all Dragon Ball characters names derive from the name of vegetables?” The name of the Saiyan is so, I explained, she said “Well, what does Chi-chi mean in Japanese? Shooting place in Mexico, the crew spoke Spanish, all of them laughed when they called my name Chi-chi, I asked why they were laughing, they said that Chi-chi means boobs in Spanish!” I was surprised, in fact almost the same meaning in Japanese, when I told her it, “No!” She was shocked and put her hands on her head, but she rebound quickly, and showed an impish smile.

She is 25-years-old, a Korean American who was born and raised in San Francisco. The family lived in the Japan Town, She grew up surrounded by Japanese culture. The city where anime events are often held is her playground, Jamie says “Dragon Ball” and “Hello Kitty” is her Idol.

She knows the importance and high-visibility of Dragon Ball in Japan, so she take great care of Japanese fans.

“I know that a lot of Japanese actors wanted to play the movie’s roles, so I gave my best for Japanese fans to be satisfied with it, I’m happy if you enjoy. Director James Wong did diligent research, he read a lot of Japanese manga, I’m sure that this movie will be respecting the original as much as possible. I heard that his son who hadn’t read Dragon Ball yet, read it around this time and was fascinated with it. Japanese people may think the Japanese should be cast more in the movie, but when we thought of the story, Goku is an alien. Justin Chatwin looks astonishingly like Goku, I think he is exactly Goku. He looks like Japanese a little bit (laugh). ”

The most powerful woman to play, her weak scene was……

“Chi-chi is one of the strongest women. To play the action heroine is the dream of every actress. There are a lot of roles for romantic comedy and melodrama, but action heroine not so much. Producer Stephen Chow couldn’t come to the set, but he gave us a lot of the ideas for actions before the shooting, at the same time I watched the Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle to research action scenes. Staff of action sequences were very excellent, and I believe it will be amazing scenes mixed with various martial arts like tae kwon do and so on.

Jamie is slender and it looks like she has excellent reflexes. Her most
difficult scene was not action scene, she said.

“It was kiss scene, because it was the first time for me……. This didn’t have choreography (unlike the action scenes), I had to think for myself. I was so nervous. It was very difficult, more so than action scenes (laughs).”

When I asked about Eriko Tamura, she showed beaming face.

“Eriko is a very good friend! She is a great, beautiful, cute and polite. She played Mai, a very evil and dark character, though she is very good and cheerful. But she is a method actor (acting based on the experience) so she got into the role even in the break time of shooting and controlled herself if she wanted to have a chat. She tried very hard.

We sure have had a lot of Jamie Chung (Chi-Chi) interviews this past month, and today we have another. You can read the full interview here on IGN, and the Dragonball portion below.

IGN: Dragonball has such a huge following. Were you aware of it beforehand?

Chung: I’m so scared… I grew up watching Dragonball. Are you kidding me? I love it! So, to play Chi Chi, the girl that I admired, is kind of crazy. I kind of wanted to be Bulma, but Emmy Rossum is perfect for Bulma. She really fits the character essence and everything.

IGN: What was the shoot like?

Chung: It was awesome. A major motion picture and a TV schedule is so different and the budget’s are so different, and the magic that you can make happen is amazing.

IGN: Were you able to take any of the things you’d learned on Samurai Girl and use them in Dragonball?

Chung: Oh, yeah. And I learned even more on Dragonball and I brought it to Samurai Girl. It was great!

IGN: What was it like working with your costars in Dragonball?

Chung: They’re brilliant actors. Emmy, only being 21, is an absolute pro. She knows what she’s doing, she’s absolutely gorgeous – she’s stunning. And she’s dedicated. I was in awe of her beauty. James Marsters has a huge following, but he’s so down to Earth. He’s a method actor and he’s fantastic. He’s the perfect Piccolo. I know they won’t show it to you, but the makeup they did and the mask took three hours to do, and he looks insane. They were very picky and particular on how he was going to look. Justin Chatwin is a pro. Not only does he fit the character internally — he has Goku’s essence — but he looks like a cartoon character! With his big, blue eyes, he looks like Japanese anime!

IGN: What are your outfits like in Dragonball?

Chung: Lots of boobies. I mean, it fits my character name, you know?

IGN: [Laughs] What was your reaction seeing the costume?

Chung: I’m like, “You want me to look wholesome and you want me to wear pants and not show leg, and yet I have Chi Chis!”

Movieland has posted up 9 previously released photos for Dragonball in very high resolution. If you’re looking for a wallpaper featuring your favorite Dragonball character, look no further.

Coming Soon reports that the Dragonball trailer will premiere with Max Payne on October 17th!

ComingSoon.net has learned that 20th Century Fox will debut the first trailer for Dragonball in theaters on October 17 with the studio’s video game adaptation Max Payne, starring Mark Wahlberg, on October 17. We’ll have to wait and see whether Fox will release the trailer online earlier that week.

IGN, however, claims the date is not set in stone.

The first teaser trailer for the live-action feature film version of Dragonball will reportedly hit theaters in October. A studio source informed IGN that, while Oct. 17 is Fox’s “target date,” nothing is guaranteed until the special effects and requisite approvals are in place.

Discuss on the forums.

As it turns out the October issue of Roadshow has interviews with not only Justin Chatwin and 87Eleven, but with Chow Yun-Fat (Master Roshi) and Emmy Rossum (Bulma) as well. Here’s the continuation in English, provided by our very generous source in Japan.

Chow Yun-Fat interview
He saw the Japanese magazine which the press brought from Japan, the cover girl is Japanese actress Akina Minamai, and said, “Oh! Master Roshi loves her! Kawaii nee! (Cute, in Japanese)” he laughed and sat back in the chair and said in a deep voice “Welcome to Durango! Nice to meet you!”

He then talked about the Character of Master Roshi, “He is funny, very funny. (laugh) This is the first time to play a manga character in my career. Comic and movie is different, so I hope you will like my acting.”

And about his preparation for the role, “The script was very well written, I didn’t worry about it. Character is very fascinating and dramatic. The important thing for an actor is not money or work, but whether the character is fascinating or not.” He explained the similarities between him and Master Roshi, “He and I love ladies. But my wife is always around me, so I can’t be looking at ladies so much.”

He gave his opinion on Justin Chatwin, “I think he is handsomer than the manga character. I’m sure that the fans of the original manga will love him. And you guys, what did you think when you heard I would play Master Roshi?” the press said they were very surprised.

Chow replied with, “Who do you think suits the role of Master Roshi?” NO! Chow Yun-Fat is best! “Cheers! I will treat you to dinner later. Anyway, the movie is an adventure following the original manga and animation. Thank you for your support.”

Emmy Rossum interview

I am a big fan of Bulma. Because she is very energetic, sexy, and has a strong will. I think it is an honor to play the girl who is drawn as one of the smartest girls in the world. I will make the best use of her intellect, high motivation and reckless character which are drawn in the original in my acting. But because this is the live action movie, I have to do a little more three-dimensional acting.

I hope I can rightly play Bluma who the fans saw and loved, and I want to make them happy. I know how much responsibility I have, and I have a great love for her. I think I resemble her. Both of us will do what we decide to do, and we are fascinated with the boys. And we have a passion for the goal of our life and carry a torch for it.

She gave her opinion on Justin Chatwin, “I think he is wonderful. He acts the change of Goku growing up gradually very well. He, as well as us, was researching quite a lot to be able to play Goku properly.”

“Shooting is very fun. In a chasing scene, I had to hang down from height of 10 meters. That was a very exciting experience. It was a lot of fun to study. How cool am I since I can shoot a gun or ride a motorcycle for action scenes? (laugh).”

About the three-wheele motorcycle, “Well, it’s like a snowmobile with tires. It’s very powerful and can run at a maximum speed of 240 kilometers per hour. After the end of shooting I will bring it back home.(laugh)”

The magazine also featured a plot synopsis, which contains minor spoilers.

Story
After Grandpa Gohan’s dying request, Goku starts on a journey to find Master Roshi and gather the seven Dragon Balls to prevent the desire of Lord Piccolo to take over the world. In the course of his journey, Goku meets Bulma and using her Dragon Radar, they find Dragon Balls on the way. Goku arrives to Master Roshi, and he fights with Roshi. Looking at Goku’s fighting technique, Roshi finds that Goku is a grandson of Gohan. Master Roshi was Gohan’s master. Goku receives rigorous training from Master Roshi, and after a long journey, Goku approaches Lord Piccolo for the last time.

Remember Film Junk’s post on Fox not being pleased with Dragonball and considering a possible cancellation? Well, Superheroflix reportedly has a source that is very close to the film, who reveals the exact opposite. Maybe Film Junk needs to re-evaluate their sources.

The film was completed a while ago, and the reasons for moving the film’s release date from this summer to next spring was to insure that all of the needed special effects were completed. We have a source that is very close to the film. And he/she says that the first edit is done, and that it has been shown to those “higher ups” at Fox. And that they love the finished film. Our studio contact, who we aren’t allowed to name at the moment, worked on the production, and has seen the completed movie. Everyone involved seems to think they have a hit on their hands, and he even went on to say that it was “pretty darn awesome. There is certainly talk about a sequel. I have no doubt that it will happen. I’m sure that it will be a trilogy.”

If you are anxiously awaiting Dragonball, don’t be scared by these sudden rumors that the film is being scrapped or sent directly to home video. That is certainly not the case. Dragonball is still set for a April 3rd, 2009 release date.

Discuss on the forums.