娱乐英语新闻：Hong Kong's Chow takes on Japanese cartoon

Hong Kong comedian and director Stephen Chow will be producing the movie adaptation of popular Japanese manga cartoon "Dragon Ball" for 20th Century Fox, his company spokesman said Thursday.

But Chow, best known for "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer", turned down a Fox offer to direct the project, saying he would only take the helm for his own film ideas, the spokesman said.

"Dragon Ball" will be directed by James Wong, the 48-year-old who directed thrillers "Final Destination" and "Final Destination 3". It will star Justin Chatwin, who played Tom Cruise's son in "War of the Worlds" as Goku.

The spokesman said Chow, a fan of the Japanese comic, would want Asian and Chinese actors to feature in the film, a project that took two years to negotiate.

"Dragon Ball", created by Akira Toriyama in 1984, follows the adventures of a young martial artist named Son Goku who defends the Earth against evil as he collects the mystical Dragon Balls that give him incredible powers.

It has been made into an animated series in Hong Kong and has also been developed into video games.