Tron 2? Yes, please.
Posted by Balcony Fool on July 25, 2008
Cyberspace is afire with news that Tron 2 (aka TR2N – seriously?) is on its way. Not only is the project finally a go after all these years, they’ve actually already shot some footage! Yesterday at ComiCon, Disney screened a three-minute promo, featuring — and this is where the story gets really good — Jeff Bridges, the original party tronster. But is he a villain this time around? And will Bruce “I Was Actually Tron” Boxleitner appear as well? What about the mousy chick? Disney somehow managed to keep this whole thing a secret, and it sounds like they’re going to operate under a veil of secrecy for the foreseeable future. (UPDATE: Peter Chattaway points out that this wasn’t much of a secret, after all.) While we wait for more details to emerge, let’s all take a moment to the thank the Great Spirit (Cecil B. DeMille) that this is a sequel, and not a remake. How lucky are we? Thanks, Hollywood! You’re so good to us.
One other interesting note: apparently the promo was originally going to screen in 3-D, but the process wasn’t ready. Will the movie itself be shot in 3-D? I know we’re living at the dawn of a new cinematic age and all, but I still tend to think of 3-D as a gimmick. Nevertheless, this is one film that could really take advantage of the technology. Imagine an immersive Tron world! My imagination quakes.
The director is some guy called Joseph Kosinski, whose sole credit appears to be the not-yet-shooting remake of Logan’s Run. Nothing against Mr. Kosinski, but why not Steven Lisberger? As co-writer and director of the original film, I can’t think of a reason why he wouldn’t get a shot at the sequel. Last I heard, Lisberger was working on this, but either that project has fizzled, or he just wants to make it an even twenty years between films.
I don’t know about any of you, but for me this ranks just below the Star Wars prequels in terms of anticipation. Let’s just hope this one works out a little better. (Is it even possible for it to work out worse? Or even as bad?) Tron fans have been waiting 26 years to see their heroes on the screen again, so don’t screw it up, Joe. (No pressure.)
petertchattaway said
Just wondering what you mean by “this whole thing”. The promo reel? Yeah, that appears to have been a big surprise. Or the fact that Jeff Bridges was involved? He told Collider.com that he had been approached about being part of the sequel way, way back in November.
Paul Christian Glenn said
Yeah, Bridges has been circling a proposed sequel in a non-committal way for a long time (IIRC, he talked hypothetically about doing a sequel back when the special edition DVD came out six years ago), but unless I’ve missed something, his involvement hadn’t been confirmed by any official sources. I also don’t think the studio had even confirmed that the project was going ahead, let alone had a director, let alone had been shooting test footage.
petertchattaway said
The director was announced back in September, two months before Bridges said he had been approached about being in the film. I blogged it at the time!
http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/tron-sequel-in-works-again.html
petertchattaway said
Joseph Kosinski’s involvement as director of the project — and his intention to do a test reel on the Light Cycles — were announced in September, two months before Bridges revealed that he had been approached about appearing in the film. I blogged it at the time!
Paul Christian Glenn said
See what I get for not checking your blog last September? I knew that was going to come back to bite me.
Thanks for the heads-up. Post modified!
river said
“Yesterday at ComiCon … ”
speaking of comic-con and movies, i stumbled upon a cable channel that provided 6 hours of weekend coverage and i would estimated a good 90% of their broadcast covered movies. i’ve often wished i could attend the con but if it’s as much of a hollywood expo as it appeared, i’ve changed my mind. i enjoy movies as much as the next guy but it is “comic”-con. it would be interesting to talk to someone who actually attended to find out if the hollywood domination i saw on the telly was an accurate portrayal of what was happening on the convention floor or simply a reflection of this particular cable channel’s programming choices.
thomwade said
What? River…are you insane? Movies like Good Luck Chuck make a perfect fit at a place like Comic-Con. I mean, fan-boys love Jessica Alba (not so much Dan Cook though)!
Paul Christian Glenn said
I don’t mind the movie stuff as long as it’s reasonably genre-oriented — sci-fi, horror, alternate realities, superheroes, etc. It makes sense when you consider that most of these properties are spun off from comics (or spun into comics). The news I’ve been following (Tron, Wolverine, Heroes, etc.) all fit nicely into that mold.
What I don’t understand is stuff like “The Office” having a panel. WTF?
Of course, there are gray areas. What to do with the MST3K 20th Anniversary* reunion panel? As far as I know, MST3K has never appeared in comic-book form, yet there is clearly a huge crossover audience thanks to the show’s affinity for sci-fi and horror. (Plus, who could deny a slot to that event anywhere? If they asked to set up a panel at the New York Stock Exchange, I couldn’t think of a compelling reason to say no.)
* Good God, I’m getting old.
thomwade said
Since Comic con has grown into a “geek” mecca, it makes sense for the genre films, shows and video games and so on to make their pitches there. I am unsure how I feel about the office being there, because it is far to popular to be a cult hit, and I don’t think any of the principals have much in the way of genre ties.
Paul Christian Glenn said
Yeah, the only two remote genre ties I can think of are:
- Pam appeared in “Slither”
- Dwight appeared in “House of 1000 Corpses”
Both bits parts, and neither performance was particularly memorable. That’s all I can think of at the moment. Where’s Peter with his encyclopedic cross-referencing brain when you need it?
I do love “Slither.” I need to watch it again.
river said
“River…are you insane?”
quite possibly.
“it makes sense for the genre films, shows and video games and so on to make their pitches there”
i agree. i don’t have a problem with any of that stuff being there. with comic book properties being stretched across multiple media, it only makes sense. i’m simply concerned with the shift of balance. i was curious as to whether the coverage i saw was indicative of how things played out at the con and unfortunately, it looks as though my concern may have at least some validity.
thomwade said
When the Hollywood actors and producers and directors are complaining about it? There is a problem. I was not trying to shoo your concerns away, I think it is valid. Especially when so many non-genre stuff is taking advantage of it.
hooray said
Joseph Kosinski is good director for that type of stuff…