Dragon Ball 5 Directors Who Should Direct A Live Action Movie (& 5 Who Absolutely Shouldnt)

Live-action adaptations are big business, and if Dragon Ball was to get another live-action outing, who should helm it?

These days, Hollywood is constantly searching for its next "big thing" - many of Warner Bros. most successful films of the last decade are either based on comics, novels, or old film properties. It's only a matter of time before Hollywood tries to make bank off of anime once again. When that happens, Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise will undoubtedly get another live-action adaptation.

"Another" is the operative word here - Dragon Ball Evolution was Hollywood's first misguided attempt at adapting the legendary anime. When another film studio takes a stab at it, hopefully, they'll get the right director for the job. Without further ado, here are 5 directors who'd probably make a great Dragon Ball film, and 5 others who should stay far away from the franchise.

10 M. Night Shyamalan (Shouldn't)

Once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan was one of Hollywood's most promising directors. During the late-1990s/ early-2000s, Shyamalan released hit after hit with films like Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, and Signs. Then, everything changed when the mid-2000s rolled in; Shyamalan seemingly lost his touch and released a slew of movies that were panned by critics and audiences alike.

Overall, we respect Shyamalan for being a bold director who always takes risks with his films. However, his adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender left a bad taste in our mouths. Do you want to know the saddest things about Shyamalan's Avatar adaptation? He probably could've made a halfway decent film if Shyamalan showed more respect towards the source material.

9 Robert Rodriguez (Should)

Robert Rodriguez is another filmmaker who cut his teeth by making low-budget films throughout the 1990s. And when we say "low-budget," we mean that Rodriguez's first film El Mariachi only had a budget of $7,000! Nevertheless, Rodriguez created one hell of an entertaining action film, despite his setbacks, and continued to do so across multiple genres for the next few decades.

Then in 2019, Rodgriguez directed Alita: Battle Angel. The film not only made tons of cash at the box office, but it also proved two things; that Western filmmakers could, in fact, successfully adapt anime, and that Robert Rodriguez knows how to respect an adapted work's source material while also staying true to himself.

8 Ang Lee ( Shouldn't)

Ang Lee's filmography is one of the most fascinating in the entire film industry; the Pingtung County native has made dramas, comedies, romantic films, and action movies over the 30 odd years that he's been active. Lee even directed 2003's Hulk - one of the more abstract comic book films out there.

You'd think that the man who directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would be a perfect fit for a Dragon Ball live-action film. We're inclined to agree, but therein lies the problem; Lee hasn't been that director for some time. Up until Gemini Man, Lee hadn't directed an action film for more than 15 years. It would seem that Lee's moved on from these sorts of projects, and we wish him all the best for it, we feel that he no longer has the proper mindset to properly create a Dragon Ball film at this point in his career.

7 Chad Stahelski (Should)

Directors, actors, producers, and writers tend to get most of the credit whenever a film is successful. However, there are plenty of unsung heroes in the film industry - from the production assistants who keep film shoots organized to the interns and craft service workers who manage the smaller, yet equally important aspects of a film shoot.

Stuntmen and stuntwomen also don't get enough praise for their contributions to filmmaking - that is, until they get behind the camera and revolutionize the industry. Enter Chad Stahelski - the stuntman who used his years of experience to direct the John Wick franchise. If anyone could fill a live-action Dragon Ball film with fantastic fight scenes, it'd be the man who helped make John Wick a household name.

6 Ava DuVernay (Shouldn't)

Ava DuVernay is an incredibly talented filmmaker who has a gift for directing smaller scale, personal films like Selma, I Will Follow, and Middle of Nowhere. DuVernay also has plenty of experience creating award-winning documentary films as well as creating/ directing gripping television shows. What DuVernay lacks, however, is experience directing large-scale action movies.

The closest that DuVernay has come to this territory is her 2018 adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's science fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time. Hollywood can only benefit from allowing more women/ filmmakers of color to helm big projects - provided that those filmmakers have the necessary vision. With time, Ava DuVernay may very well be able to reach that level. For now, however, we think that she should hone her blockbuster action skills just a bit more before tackling something like a live-action Dragon Ball film.

5 Patty Jenkins (Should)

Much like Ava DuVernay, Patty Jenkins established herself as a talented filmmaker by working on smaller-scale projects early in her career. For years, Jenkins directed episodes of Arrested Development, Entourage, and The Sarah Silverman Program while also directing films such as Velocity Rules and Monster. Then, in 2017, Jenkins directed Wonder Woman - one of the most critically and commercially successful films in the DCEU!

Jenkins is also slated to direct Wonder Woman 1984 - a film that's already receiving tons of praise based on what little promotional material we've been able to see. From our perspective, we think that Jenkins would do a great job bringing characters like Bulma, Videl, Android 18, Kale, and Caulifla to life.

4 J. J. Abrams (Shouldn't)

We have nothing but respect for J. J. Abrams; this man spent years trying to establish himself as a filmmaker, only for Hollywood to more or less cast him aside. In response to that callousness, Abrams directed several award-winning TV shows (Felicity, Alias, and Lost) before creating Bad Robot studios. The rest, as they say, is history.

Whether you hate or love Abrams' contributions to Star Wars and Star Trek, think about this - the man is a talented and dedicated filmmaker who's renowned for showing love to his cast and crew. That being said, we don't think Abrams' style would suit a live-action Dragon Ball movie; Abrams' projects are filled with tons of banter between characters and complicated plots. Even if he were to focus on Goku's early years, we still don't think that Abrams would be a good fit for this project.

3 James Wan (Should)

James Wan is a filmmaker who made a name for himself creating and working on the Saw series throughout the 2000s. Wan then continued to make incredibly profitable and popular horror films via the Insidious and The Conjuring franchises. Not content to stay in one lane (pardon the pun,) Wan immersed himself in the world of action movies when he directed Furious 7 in 2015.

However, it's 2018's Aquaman that stands out as Wan's greatest contribution to action movies thus far; if this Malaysian-born filmmaker can revitalize one of DC's most divisive characters, we're confident that he can make an entertaining Dragon Ball movie.

2 Michael Bay (Shouldn't)

It's possible to make a strong argument that Michael Bay is a genuine auteur in the film industry (at least, according to numerous YouTubers). Almost all of Bay's films stand out from the works of other filmmakers in Hollywood - we could show you a still frame from Pearl Harbor, The Island, and The Rock and you'd probably see similarities between all three projects.

However, while Bay's films are filled with spectacle and bombastic action sequences, they also tend to feature weak, if not outright forgettable characters. The Dragon Ball franchise is renowned for its amazing battles and awesome special attacks, but the series also features a slew of great characters - characters that Bay likely wouldn't be able to properly handle.

1 Zack Snyder (Should)

Love him or hate him, Zack Snyder has the potential to make a fantastic Dragon Ball film, provided that he returns to his roots. Snyder has proved himself to be an artistic genius when it comes to visual storytelling - Dawn of the Dead (2004,) 300, and Watchmen are proof of this.

If Snyder relied on visual storytelling to build up the characters and world of Dragon Ball, he could potentially create a masterpiece. An ideal "Snyder Cut" of a Dragon Ball film would be light on dialogue and heavy on cinematography, in our opinion.