Dragon Ball was the inspiration for the fight sequences in the Matrix? Yeah...I can see that...
I too remember reading somewhere that Dragon Ball was going to be turned into a live-action flick; don't worry, incognito...you're not going insane. As choices for adaptation go, though, I have to wonder why they'd opt for DB. I'm not sure about the original series, but I seem to recall that in Dragon Ball Z, the characters would go around blowing up planets with alarming ease and frequency. A little over-the-top, if you ask me. On a semi-related note, have you heard that James Cameron's itching to adapt Battle Angel Alita to the big screen? Might be a better choice for the live-action treatment than DB, I think. What do I know, though? I'm a comic geek...
Manji...with the exception of Kevin Smith, your list of possible directors for a live-action anime adaptation is dead on. I'm yellow-flagging Smith because, up until now, he's only done talking-head comedies, romances, and dramas. Don't get me wrong: the guy's proven himself to be a dyed-in-the-wool geek worthy of our admiration, and he's got good writing chops. Even he's said, though, that he'd hesitate to sit in the director's chair on a fast-paced action flick. Last I heard, his plans for a Green Hornet adaptation were stalled in their tracks; cold feet, maybe.
Yes, Smith had been brought on board to write an early draft of the Superman script, and, had he been left to his own devices, I'm sure the resulting movie would've kicked some serious ass. Ahhh, Hollywood...how I hate you. Incognito nailed it: the producer was a total whack job. For the details on Smith's hillarious dealings with the studio, and some other misadventures, you should track down 'An Evening With Kevin Smith' on DVD. It's about four hours of Smith, edited together from several lectures he gave at some American universities not too long ago. It's like an extended stand-up routine; the man's not just a magnificent fanboy, he also knows how to work a crowd. Now if only he'd do that Brave and the Bold series he's been promising...