TRON 2 – Is This Real, And Is This A Good Idea?
One of my friends recently sent me a link for a bootleg teaser trailer for TRON 2. According to reports, Disney representatives showed the trailer at this years Comic-Con. Apparently, the fanboys in attendance went wild. What can we make of this?
Scanning the internet, I just can’t find any evidence that TRON 2 is actually being made. You can look up anybody who might be involved with this project (for example, Jeff Bridges, Steven Lisberger) and there is no mention of TRON 2. However, ever since the Matrix came out, there have been rumours that Disney was interested in making a sequel. You know how Hollywood is. Why make something new, when you already have an existing property ( I’ve also read they’re planning on making a Pirates 4. God safe us).
I suppose Disney’s thinking is that the original TRON was a movie that was ahead of its time in a lot of ways. It predated the whole Cyberpunk era of Sci-Fi, and its use of CG was absolutely groundbreaking for the time. John Lasseter has mentioned Tron’s influence on his career in computer animation. Disney might think that a lot of the people that didn’t get TRON the first time might be more receptive to the concepts it presented now. Could it be that Pixar might be involved in this movie in some way?
Is making a sequel to TRON a good idea? Although the original has gathered a bit of a cult following, it really wasn’t that great of a movie (although I still liked it). On the other hand, although the original story wasn’t great, in the right hands, perhaps the raw material is there to make something cool. Think of what Ron Moore did with Battlestar Galactica. If TRON could be “Battlestar Galacticized”, I’d see it. Obviously, computer graphics have advanced light years since the original. They could make an incredible looking computer world. Plus, I am a Jeff Bridges fan …(Who doesn’t want to see “The Dude’ inside a computer playing video games?)
I think what Disney was doing was to put together a TRON 2 concept trailer to try and gauge just what the fan reaction would be. If they showed it at Comic-Con and everyone shrugged, they would have just forgotten about it. As it is, people who saw it seemed to be genuinely excited. I don’t think TRON 2 was a sure thing before. However, given this reaction, there is a good chance that it is now. Time will tell. (And if Pixar is involved, hmmmmmm, it could be really interesting …)
Oh, here’s a funny TRON story I just remembered. David Warner, who plays Sark and Dillenger in the movie, was home drunk one night when his agent called. Here’s how t he conversation went:
AGENT: Hey, I just got a script for a new science fiction movie called TRON. Want to be it it?
WARNER (still drunk): I don’t know. Who’s directing it?
AGENT: Steven Lisberger.
WARNER: Steven Spielberg! I’ll do it!
Just shows you the dangers of alcohol, I suppose

