I'm not a professional screenwriter (understatement), but I've had a fascination with a live-action DragonBall Z movie ever since I saw the show. I always thought it could be an incredible film, and evidently so did 20th Century Fox... and they gave us 2 hours of entertainment in DragonBall: Evolution. Just not in the way we would have liked.
So I decided on a whim to try giving it a go myself, since it's apparent Fox has no interest after Ben Ramsey's / James Wong's "Evolution" misfire. I firmly believe it has just as much potential as a Marvel film, but it all depends on the talent involved and the direction they decide to take.
First thing is, my attempt is based on DRAGONBALL Z. Not DragonBall as Evolution was. And just as importantly, it's based on the American version -- not that there's any major differences in the story but the terminology is different from the Japanese.
Secondly, I'm not trying to make a carbon copy of the manga because there would be no point. I'm trying to make a Hollywood style film script that condenses the major events of Dragon Ball Z to fit a blockbuster movie. Unlike Evolution however, I am going to remain faithful in its tone and scale.
Some important plot changes to keep in mind:
1) We begin with Freeza, King Cold, Bardock and his origin story, and Goku who is sent to Earth just as he is in the original version. I believe this is the best possible opening you could do for a live-action DragonBall movie, as it could easily be the real beginning of DragonBall Z. It sets up the story of the Saiyans, who they are, who the "big bad" is (think Thanos), and who the hero is in the first 10-15 minutes of the film with no bullshit in the way. Easily digestible for first-time watchers.
2) Even though Freeza does NOT appear as the "main villain" in this first screenplay, because he is shown right at the start he is established as the ultimate badass for the next movies. I want to make it clear that Freeza IS the endgame. There is no Cell, there is no Buu, there is no Androids, nothing. It's Freeza and that's it. And no, he doesn't come back to life.
3) Vegeta and Radditz are the two Saiyans who come to Earth - yes, only one Saiyan invasion. This is super important as the Radditz portion of DragonBall Z is far too similar to the Vegeta/Nappa portion and would slow down the pace of the film tremendously if we did both. Think about it; for a TV show or manga it works fine (arguably), but for a film where you only have 90+ minutes to work with, you need to get your point across much more quickly. We can condense it into one big encounter and make it much more impactful than Piccolo training Gohan in the wilderness for 5 hours.
4) Certain characters (I'm thinkin' Yamcha or Tien, or Chaotzu, or Puar, or Oolong) don't really fit in the film. I'm going for a serious take on the franchise and while there's nothing wrong with any of those characters, they slow it down and get in the way of the story. This has to be a condensed version of DragonBall Z, and despite trying to remain faithful, it is impossible to retain everything.
5) The main flow would be --- Freeza / King Cold's introduction (below), Bardock sending his son Goku to escape before they attempt to overthrow Freeza, a MONTAGE of Goku growing up on Earth as a kid (the DragonBall series condensed into a few minutes), then the Saiyan invasion with Vegeta and Radditz where Goku learns of his origins, and so on.
With all that out of the way, I'm including the first four pages of my feeble attempt at a DBZ screenplay. It begins with Freeza and King Cold in space, setting up their motivations for being such pricks, and establishing that they rule over a race that they see as slaves trying foolishly to rise up (the Saiyans).
Let me know what you think, but keep in mind it's literally the first attempt and will go through many revisions... but if it completely sucks, I'll just stop right now. It's up to you. I would like to know if anyone is even interested in at least the ideas, if not the poor execution. Thanks!
DRAGON BALL Z
Written by
Canon
FADE INTO OUTER SPACE. An enormous alien spacecraft flies by an endless sea of stars and unfamiliar planets.
CUT TO: INT. SPACE CRAFT - THRONE ROOM
A small, 5-foot tall white humanoid creature stands by the window of the spacecraft observing the vastness of space outside. It has a smirk on its face.
CREATURE
Disgusting, isnt it father?
CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal another ALIEN sitting on a gigantic throne big enough to fit his enormous stature. This creature was more than twice the size of the smaller alien and its purple skin was a stark contrast to the white. Enter KING COLD.
KING COLD
What exactly is so disgusting about nothing, my dear child?
The smaller alien is visibly annoyed by this retort.
CREATURE
Does that not infuriate you? The emptiness of it all.
KING COLD
Why would it?
CREATURE
This universe is just begging for a purpose, to break the tedium I am so profoundly sick of. I am not content in watching things fly by us any longer.
KING COLD
(laughing)
Is that so? And what do you propose we do instead?
CREATURE
Create a purpose. Give these unlearned savages something to live for.
KING COLD
And what would that be?
CREATURE
Us, of course.
KING COLD lets out a big devilish belly laugh.
KING COLD
Ah, there we are. I thought for but a moment that you had grown empathy all of a sudden.
CREATURE
Empathy? In what universe is that useful?
KING COLD
Ive yet to find one.
CREATURE
Then perhaps we shall find out when we conquer every inch of the galaxy.
KING COLD
My, my, arent we getting ahead of ourselves.
CREATURE
Theres nothing that can stand in our way. The power that we possess is enough to destroy and rebuild anything we so desire, in our perfect image.
CAMERA PANS around the spacecraft, revealing more of itself and giving time for the gravity of the creatures words to sink in.
CUT TO: KING COLD ON HIS THRONE - CONTINUOUS
KING COLD
Hmm... Youve convinced me, boy. I apologize for becoming so complacent in ruling so few. We should be expanding our kingdom to planets beyond even our own reach.
CREATURE
These monkeys are so useless now. Incompetent lower life, clinging so pointlessly to their heritage and their pride... Theyre far too difficult to control the way they should be.
KING COLD
This is true as well. I can sense mutiny rising -- it wont be long before they try to revolt. It could very well be that weve worked them to their limit.
CREATURE
No. The Saiyans are too strong to be quitters they grow more powerful after every battle. The truth is, theres one among them thats given the others some pathetic sense of self worth. As if they could stand up to a God and topple it...
KING COLD
Hmm? And who is this Saiyan?
CREATURE
Hes nothing but a monkey whos been out of his cage for too long.
KING COLD
Son are you thinking what I believe you are?
CREATURE
You know me all too well.
KING COLD
If the Saiyans were to perish, it would be a major setback in our operations, wouldn't you say?
CREATURE
It was only a matter of time before they were to expire. Its a pity, but it cant be helped.
KING COLD
Now, now I am not convinced that those measures are yet necessary.
Silence.
KING COLD (CONTD)
If this Saiyan you speak of confronts you, you may defend yourself. Otherwise, be patient and observe his actions closely.
CREATURE
I dont need your permission like a child.
KING COLD
Consider it a request, then.
CREATURE
(smiling)
Ill think it over.
KING COLD
Freeza
Its name revealed.
FREEZA
Yes father?
KING COLD
I am quite looking forward to seeing what youre capable of.
FREEZA
So am I.
FADE OUT TO BLACK.
So I decided on a whim to try giving it a go myself, since it's apparent Fox has no interest after Ben Ramsey's / James Wong's "Evolution" misfire. I firmly believe it has just as much potential as a Marvel film, but it all depends on the talent involved and the direction they decide to take.
First thing is, my attempt is based on DRAGONBALL Z. Not DragonBall as Evolution was. And just as importantly, it's based on the American version -- not that there's any major differences in the story but the terminology is different from the Japanese.
Secondly, I'm not trying to make a carbon copy of the manga because there would be no point. I'm trying to make a Hollywood style film script that condenses the major events of Dragon Ball Z to fit a blockbuster movie. Unlike Evolution however, I am going to remain faithful in its tone and scale.
Some important plot changes to keep in mind:
1) We begin with Freeza, King Cold, Bardock and his origin story, and Goku who is sent to Earth just as he is in the original version. I believe this is the best possible opening you could do for a live-action DragonBall movie, as it could easily be the real beginning of DragonBall Z. It sets up the story of the Saiyans, who they are, who the "big bad" is (think Thanos), and who the hero is in the first 10-15 minutes of the film with no bullshit in the way. Easily digestible for first-time watchers.
2) Even though Freeza does NOT appear as the "main villain" in this first screenplay, because he is shown right at the start he is established as the ultimate badass for the next movies. I want to make it clear that Freeza IS the endgame. There is no Cell, there is no Buu, there is no Androids, nothing. It's Freeza and that's it. And no, he doesn't come back to life.
3) Vegeta and Radditz are the two Saiyans who come to Earth - yes, only one Saiyan invasion. This is super important as the Radditz portion of DragonBall Z is far too similar to the Vegeta/Nappa portion and would slow down the pace of the film tremendously if we did both. Think about it; for a TV show or manga it works fine (arguably), but for a film where you only have 90+ minutes to work with, you need to get your point across much more quickly. We can condense it into one big encounter and make it much more impactful than Piccolo training Gohan in the wilderness for 5 hours.
4) Certain characters (I'm thinkin' Yamcha or Tien, or Chaotzu, or Puar, or Oolong) don't really fit in the film. I'm going for a serious take on the franchise and while there's nothing wrong with any of those characters, they slow it down and get in the way of the story. This has to be a condensed version of DragonBall Z, and despite trying to remain faithful, it is impossible to retain everything.
5) The main flow would be --- Freeza / King Cold's introduction (below), Bardock sending his son Goku to escape before they attempt to overthrow Freeza, a MONTAGE of Goku growing up on Earth as a kid (the DragonBall series condensed into a few minutes), then the Saiyan invasion with Vegeta and Radditz where Goku learns of his origins, and so on.
With all that out of the way, I'm including the first four pages of my feeble attempt at a DBZ screenplay. It begins with Freeza and King Cold in space, setting up their motivations for being such pricks, and establishing that they rule over a race that they see as slaves trying foolishly to rise up (the Saiyans).
Let me know what you think, but keep in mind it's literally the first attempt and will go through many revisions... but if it completely sucks, I'll just stop right now. It's up to you. I would like to know if anyone is even interested in at least the ideas, if not the poor execution. Thanks!
DRAGON BALL Z
Written by
Canon
FADE INTO OUTER SPACE. An enormous alien spacecraft flies by an endless sea of stars and unfamiliar planets.
CUT TO: INT. SPACE CRAFT - THRONE ROOM
A small, 5-foot tall white humanoid creature stands by the window of the spacecraft observing the vastness of space outside. It has a smirk on its face.
CREATURE
Disgusting, isnt it father?
CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal another ALIEN sitting on a gigantic throne big enough to fit his enormous stature. This creature was more than twice the size of the smaller alien and its purple skin was a stark contrast to the white. Enter KING COLD.
KING COLD
What exactly is so disgusting about nothing, my dear child?
The smaller alien is visibly annoyed by this retort.
CREATURE
Does that not infuriate you? The emptiness of it all.
KING COLD
Why would it?
CREATURE
This universe is just begging for a purpose, to break the tedium I am so profoundly sick of. I am not content in watching things fly by us any longer.
KING COLD
(laughing)
Is that so? And what do you propose we do instead?
CREATURE
Create a purpose. Give these unlearned savages something to live for.
KING COLD
And what would that be?
CREATURE
Us, of course.
KING COLD lets out a big devilish belly laugh.
KING COLD
Ah, there we are. I thought for but a moment that you had grown empathy all of a sudden.
CREATURE
Empathy? In what universe is that useful?
KING COLD
Ive yet to find one.
CREATURE
Then perhaps we shall find out when we conquer every inch of the galaxy.
KING COLD
My, my, arent we getting ahead of ourselves.
CREATURE
Theres nothing that can stand in our way. The power that we possess is enough to destroy and rebuild anything we so desire, in our perfect image.
CAMERA PANS around the spacecraft, revealing more of itself and giving time for the gravity of the creatures words to sink in.
CUT TO: KING COLD ON HIS THRONE - CONTINUOUS
KING COLD
Hmm... Youve convinced me, boy. I apologize for becoming so complacent in ruling so few. We should be expanding our kingdom to planets beyond even our own reach.
CREATURE
These monkeys are so useless now. Incompetent lower life, clinging so pointlessly to their heritage and their pride... Theyre far too difficult to control the way they should be.
KING COLD
This is true as well. I can sense mutiny rising -- it wont be long before they try to revolt. It could very well be that weve worked them to their limit.
CREATURE
No. The Saiyans are too strong to be quitters they grow more powerful after every battle. The truth is, theres one among them thats given the others some pathetic sense of self worth. As if they could stand up to a God and topple it...
KING COLD
Hmm? And who is this Saiyan?
CREATURE
Hes nothing but a monkey whos been out of his cage for too long.
KING COLD
Son are you thinking what I believe you are?
CREATURE
You know me all too well.
KING COLD
If the Saiyans were to perish, it would be a major setback in our operations, wouldn't you say?
CREATURE
It was only a matter of time before they were to expire. Its a pity, but it cant be helped.
KING COLD
Now, now I am not convinced that those measures are yet necessary.
Silence.
KING COLD (CONTD)
If this Saiyan you speak of confronts you, you may defend yourself. Otherwise, be patient and observe his actions closely.
CREATURE
I dont need your permission like a child.
KING COLD
Consider it a request, then.
CREATURE
(smiling)
Ill think it over.
KING COLD
Freeza
Its name revealed.
FREEZA
Yes father?
KING COLD
I am quite looking forward to seeing what youre capable of.
FREEZA
So am I.
FADE OUT TO BLACK.
