The Hollywood live-action adaptation of “Dragonball” will be in Japanese theaters in March 2009, a month ahead of its U.S. release. Originally planned for an August 15 U.S. opening, it has been pushed back to April 3, 2009. 20th Century Fox, who have given no explanation for the delay, have had the rights to adapt the hugely successful manga since 2002. Creator Toriyama Akira (52) is working on the new adaptation and the movie is directed by James Wong. Canadian actor Justin Chatwin (25) has the lead role of Son Goku, who follows his grandfather’s dying request to find the great Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) and gather all seven Dragon Balls in order to prevent Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) from taking over the world. Japanese actress Tamura Eriko (35) plays the villain Mai. The original manga series ran in Weekly Shonen Jump for almost eleven years from 1984. There were also three anime series, seventeen animated feature films and a wide variety of other spinoffs.
• The government announced yesterday that late movie director Ichikawa Kon is to be posthumously awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. Ichikawa passed away of pneumonia on February 13 at the age of 92. He was previously awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon (1982), Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette (1988), and in 1994 was recognized as a person who has made outstanding cultural contributions.
• Comedian Shibata Hidetsugu of the duo Untouchable, who spent the last few months in hospital, had some good news yesterday when he became a father for the second time. Shibata was hospitalized with acute pneumonia in December and was only released at the end of February. He and his wife married in October 2005 and had a son the following month.
• Also having a second child is talento Kubo Junko (36). She revealed during yesterday’s recording of the Fuji TV show “Uchikuru!?” that she is expecting a baby in mid-August. The former NHK announcer is now a freelancer and regular on a wide variety of shows. She married an advertising executive in 2000 and had her first child in 2002.
• Oscar winner Javier Bardem (39) was in Tokyo yesterday to promote his latest movie, “No Country for Old Men.” The Spanish star won an Academy Award last month as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a relentless killer in the movie, which opens here on March 15.