TRON 2 Sequel Footage Shown At 2008 San Diego Comicon
LAST UPDATED July 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 PM ET: See the latest update.
Ain't-it-Cool News is reporting that three minutes of teaser footage for the TRON sequel, was shown at this year's San Diego Comicon.
For a description of the trailer, read the article here.
First off, the description of the trailer reads like a dream come true. It sounds like they've stayed very true and faithful to the original film. Even better, Jeff Bridges appears in the trailer. Yes, Flynn is back!
Second, the tentative title for the sequel is apparently TR2N. I was wondering how they were going to handle this, considering TRON 2.0 has already been used for the game. The only other logical alternative would have been TRON 2. I'm not sure about that proposed title yet, but I guess it is sort of "cool" and "clever". I wouldn't object to it being the final title that they use.
Third, the news of teaser footage for a TRON sequel already being shown this early, has completely taken me by surprise. I really was not expecting any sort of progress on the film, any time soon. I mean, there still hasn't been an official greenlighting announcement.
But considering that Disney went to the effort of commissioning a teaser/test trailer and bringing Jeff Bridges back for it, indicates to me that they've gotten serious about making a sequel, after all.
No word yet on whether Disney is following through on the TRON sequel in 3-D rumor, though.
Thanks to Auric at TRON-Sector for the news!
UPDATE 1: The Disney Blog claims that the film "was greenlit", and that "casting has been finished and filming commenced". But until I see an official greenlit announcement press release from Disney, I would consider this to be wishful thinking. Unless the article's author isn't telling us something, that was said at Comicon.
The Hollywood Reporter article from last year, that first announced this latest attempt at a TRON follow-up, was not a bona fide greenlight announcement. This teaser sounds like a test reel to me, that was made to impress the Disney executives, in order to get them to actually greenlight the project. Which Disney decided to show off at Comicon, to gauge public interest.
UPDATE 2: An article I found on a Hollywood Reporter affiliate site, seems to confirm my suspicion.
UPDATE 3: The site Jim Hill Media, also states that the trailer was "proof of concept" footage, but continues by stating that the film has been greenlighted, even if it hasn't been widely announced yet. The subheading for the article's title reads "Tron sequel has finally officially been greenlit".
UPDATE 4: Ain't-it-Cool has an update, with a couple more details about the teaser. First, the rumor that the film will be in 3-D has been confirmed. Apparently, Disney couldn't get it done for 3-D presentation in time for Comicon. Second, the yellow program character that appears to be a younger Flynn, is the character CLU from the first film. Makes sense. Looks like Flynn wrote another CLU program.
As you probably could have guessed, there's a placeholder tr2n.com site on the internet. If you do a domain name lookup, you'll see that the site has been live since December 2007. So that means if we'd known the title was going to be "TR2N", we could have spotted the site long ago as a sign that there was something in the works regarding the sequel. Also, considering the site is hosted at Apple (and not Disney): could it suggest Pixar's involvement, perhaps?
I'm reaching a bit, I know. But I just can't see a TRON sequel being made, without Pixar's involvement. Many people working at Pixar, such as John Lasseter, cite TRON as their original inspiration for getting into the computer graphics industry.
UPDATE 5: According to a post on TRON-Sector from DaveTRON (a friend of Steven Lisberger), Jeff Bridges is the only actor from the original film that is currently involved in the sequel, so far.
UPDATE 6: The first shakey cam footage of the TR2N teaser has appeared! Watch it now, before Disney puts the kibosh on it! Copy and paste the video link at a site like keepvid.com to save a copy for yourself, before it disappears!
Thanks to TRON.dll for the tip!
If a better quality version turns up, I'll be sure to post it! :)
UPDATE 7:If you visit the tr2n.com site at the moment (the evening of July 26th), you'll see what amounts to a 404 Page Not Found error. Is something up? Is an official site going live, soon? Below you can see what the site used to look like, with the previous placeholder page.
It turns out that the tr2n.com site is not affiliated with Disney, after all.If you visit the site, you'll see a page explaining this. There was a page explaining this, but the site presents you with a different page now.
I simply cannot believe that Disney didn't have the foresight to reserve this domain name, earlier. Unless the "TR2N" name was decided on at a very late stage, or the current domain name owners are cybersquatting and held out for too much money. So, I guess we'll be seeing "tr2nmovie.com", or somesuch, instead.
UPDATE 8: To tie in with the previous update, Harry Knowles at Ain't-it-Cool hints that a high quality version of the teaser could be coming soon. Official site with the teaser soon, you think? ;)
UPDATE 9: Now there are rumors swirling around, that Jim Hill Media was incorrect about TR2N being greenlit, coming to me from both a public and a private source. Taking into account the fact that Disney apparently did not bother to reserve any internet domain names for a sequel, makes me begin to wonder if Disney is really serious, after all.
UPDATE 10: Jay Maynard — better known as TRON Guy — says that so far he hasn't been approached about appearing in the movie. I think it would be pretty neat if he made a cameo appearance.
Also, I just realized that I haven't touched upon Steven Lisberger's involvement, yet. For those that don't know, Lisberger was the co-writer and director of the original TRON film. At this point, it's only been confirmed that he is acting as a producer on the sequel. He won't be directing, because he's currently busy on his Soul Code project. Joseph Kosinski would be directing TR2N.
What I'd really like to know, is how much material from Steven Lisberger's sequel scripts that he's written, will make it into TR2N. According to DaveTRON, certain elements from Steven's script treatments were used in the teaser. Most notably, the "Flynn as Colonel Kurtz inside the computer" idea. But according to previous news, Steven is not writing the sequel's story.
UPDATE 11: For those of you wondering about the release date of the TR2N sequel: rumors place it anywhere from next year in 2009, all the way to 2011. If I were to wager on the year, I'd say either 2010 or 2011. Most likely Spring 2011, according to earlier news.
UPDATE 12: An article on Jim Hill Media, has quite a lot of new information to offer.
UPDATE 13: A source who wishes to remain anonymous, has pointed me to an artist's online album with some concept artwork that was commissioned last year, for the potential sequel. Apparently, the style seen in this "Tron 2.0" artwork was ultimately not chosen, as judging by the teaser. My first impression upon seeing this concept was that — while the circuit traces and the disc look good — the helmet reminds me too much of Spawn.
UPDATE 14: Harry Knowles at Ain't-it-Cool News has an article up, where he mentions that he's been in contact with Steven Lisberger. Lisberger states that "Jim Hill’s piece on Tr2n sounds very dramatic" and that he is still involved.
UPDATE 15: A statement from the webmaster of Jeff Bridges' web site states: "Jeff is currently in deep prep mode for Crazy Heart and Tron2, which is being written and will film some time next year." This statement on its own is actually not 100% clear, as it could be referring to either Crazy Heart or TR2N.
But further investigation of the site, reveals a page where Jeff himself states that work on the film Crazy Heart is about to begin for him. Therefore, confirming that the "next year" statement is indeed referring to TR2N, and that Jeff is definitely involved in the sequel.
Thanks to Simbeau for the tip.
UPDATE 16: In a fairly recent interview with Starlog magazine, Cindy Morgan was quoted as saying: "They told me that if they made any more TRON follow-ups, they’re planning to bring back Yori." While not an absolute confirmation of her returning (the interview was published in April 2007), I thought it was still worth mentioning.
UPDATE 17: Tom's Games has a new article up, discussing the TR2N sequel. The article doesn't include any information that we didn't already know. But it does have a brief interview with Steven Lisberger, which still makes it worth reading. Even if Lisberger himself doesn't really reveal any new information, either.
Thanks again to Simbeau, for the tip.
UPDATE 18: IMDB now lists Karl Urban and John Hurt as having joined the cast of TR2N. IMDB has also changed the release from 2010 to 2011. Additionally, IMDB lists Steven Lisberger as a writer now. Which was not the case, before.
But at this time, only Jeff Bridges has been confirmed as appearing in the sequel. Until I come across another source that backs up IMDB: this is something to file under the "strictly rumor" category, for now. IMDB isn't known for being the most reliable source of pre-production news on films, anyway. In fact, you can ignore the "filming" status indicated on the page. It really should say "pre-production". There's no script yet. So there can't very well be filming, without a script.
If John Hurt is appearing in the sequel: I could easily see him as a replacement for David Warner, playing a Dillinger-like or Sark-like character.
Thanks again to TRON.dll, for the tip!
UPDATE 19: At the recent Walt Disney Studios Showcase for 2008, in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood — where Disney presented its catalogue of upcoming films — the same TR2N teaser presented at the 2008 San Diego Comicon, was shown again.
Despite all the media attention and enthusiasm, Disney has still not released an official greenlight press release for TR2N. But this recent news is very welcome, because it re-affirms Disney's commitment to making the sequel. They wouldn't be showing the trailer again — particularly to people within the industry — if they weren't seriously considering making TR2N a reality.
UPDATE 20: Ain't-it-Cool News has an additional take on the Disney Studios Showcase event. Their report has Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook quoted as saying TR2N is "for sure a go". The crowd reaction to the teaser is also said to have been very positive, like it was at Comicon.
UPDATE 21: The Guardian newspaper in the UK has recently published a new interview with Jeff Bridges. Among the topics discussed, is TRON and the TR2N sequel. He reveals that he did CGI motion capture for the TR2N teaser, most likely for the green/yellow CLU character that threatens the blue program at the end.
UPDATE 22: Ain't-it-Cool News reports that Disney is finally starting to hire crew, to begin pre-production on the TR2N sequel. One of the people coming on board is Michael Wilkinson, who is costume designer on the films Terminator Salvation, Watchmen, and 300. If this is the case: isn't it about time Disney also finally puts out a press release, announcing the film has been greenlighted?
Thanks to cirlin for the tip.
UPDATE 23: Ain't-it-Cool News has some brief details about what happened at the recent 5D Conference. Apparently, a more detailed article will follow. Right now, the only new tidbits of information revealed are the following.
After reading the article, I could only smack my forehead and grumble "why didn't I think of that before". To sum it up: the uncertainty of a potential strike by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), has studios holding back on production for many films until spring or summer next year. And right now, TR2N has only been confirmed to be in pre-production. So, we might have to wait a while yet for the official greenlighting announcement.
UPDATE 25: If you scroll up this article back to the 13th update, you'll see a piece of concept art for TR2N that wasn't used. In the meantime, some more information about that work has presented itself, along with another piece of concept art as seen on the right.
These two concepts were created by an artist who goes by the handle Falarsimons on Deviantart. If you read his comments on this page: you'll see that Digital Domain was looking for design concept proposals from artists, for TR2N.
As it turns out, these concepts will not be used. Nevertheless, it's an interesting study of one artist's take, on what an updated look for TR2N might have looked like. And it pretty much confirms that Digital Domain will be doing most, if not all, of the CGI on TR2N.
While I personally wasn't fond of the circuitry suit proposal, I'm more receptive to this Light Cycle design. It looks pretty sweet, except — again — for the blue circuitry design on the bottom, which is a bit too busy looking.
Thanks to pathfinder for the tip!
UPDATE 26: Over at Staggering Stories, their latest podcast talks a bit about TR2N. There isn't really any new information to be heard, but it's another source claiming that TR2N has essentially been greenlit. One interesting bit is that they describe the film as currently being in "development hell" at the moment. All of this can be heard at about the 11:00 mark.
UPDATE 27: According to Jim Hill Media, TR2N will be heavily promoted on Disney's upcoming XD channel — which will be a re-branded version of their Disney Channel — set to debut in early 2009.
UPDATE 28: Digital Domain's site finally lists TR2N as part of their "Feature Films In Production" section. It also lists the film as having a 2010 release. I'd checked Digital Domain's site before, but at that time they weren't admitting to working on TR2N. I was wondering when they were finally going to own up to it.
I find it interesting that Disney has chosen to outsource to Digital Domain, rather than do the work internally at Pixar. I guess Pixar has their plate full and can't take on TR2N as well. But I have no doubt that John Lasseter and other key figures at Pixar are overseeing the work that Digital Domain will do for TR2N.
Thanks to TechFalcon for the tip!
UPDATE 29: According to IGN, who got their information from the magazine Production Weekly, the TRON movie sequel's name will be changed from TR2N to TRZ.
Four words. You must be joking. I really hope this is some kind of mistake or misunderstanding. TR2N was already bad enough. But I could at least stomach it, because — as crazy as this may sound — of any film that could get away with a title like that, it would be the sequel to TRON. The original film's main protagonist (Flynn) was a hacker, after all. The TR2N leet-speak or texting-speak could apply, because that's the kind of lingo that hackers do use. As silly as it is.
But TRZ? Ridiculous. What the hell does that even mean? How would that title immediately make you think "TRON sequel"? It sure as hell doesn't with me. Whoever came up with the idea for such a title, needs to be fired. Fast! :)
The IGN article also provides the synopsis of the film's plot.
But perhaps the "corrupt cyber-entity" is not, in fact, TRON. It's CLU. In the Comicon trailer, Flynn witnessed a green program (presumably) destroy another, blue program. Now imagine how Flynn would feel if it was his own creation, CLU, that was responsible for ravaging the electronic world. That it was his own alter-ego — perhaps even with the same abilities as he had in the first film, making CLU a User-Program rather than an ordinary Program.
Now that would be an interesting twist.
But, I'll wait for further details to see how this reported storyline develops. It could turn out better than it currently sounds.
UPDATE 30: According to IMDB's MOVIEMeter Top 25 Films of 2008 list: the TRON Sequel ranked fourth in popularity, beating out titles such as Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Incredible Hulk, Terminator: Salvation, Dragonball, Quantum of Solace, and Star Trek.
This, folks, is an incredible achievement. I hope, now, that Disney realizes what a buzz the news about a TRON sequel has created across the internet, and what an opportunity they've been missing out on all these years. We've waited for a TRON sequel, for far too long.
UPDATE 31: As one of many sites reporting the news, Firstshowing.net has an article with quite a bit of new information about the TRON sequel.
Some not insignificant spoilers follow, so you may want to stop reading here.
First off, actresses Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett have joined the cast. Wilde will play a worker in the electronic world, while Garrett will play another female program also from the electronic world.
Wilde's character apparently assists the real world programmer brought in by Flynn — mentioned in a previous update to this article — by facing off against the "corrupt cyber-entity" . And as it turns out, the "entity" is . . . the MCP.
On the one hand, the thought of the MCP returning really appeals to me. But on the other hand, the return of the MCP is also utterly predictable. For any people who are dedicated TRON fans, the first villain they would expect to appear in a sequel is either Dillinger or the MCP (or both). Having Flynn (or his alter-ego, CLU) become a villain would not have been as easily foreseen. Oh well.
Perhaps the best news of all, is hearing that the new title of TRZ for the sequel is apparently not true. What a relief. TRZ would have been an incredibly stupid title, even more so than TR2N.
UPDATE 32: I noticed this in the Firstshowing.net article in the previous news update, when the casting of Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett was announced. But I didn't think much of it. Until now.
IMDB has changed the title in the listing for the TRON sequel, from TR2N to TRON 2.0. And here I thought that the whole point of using TR2N, was to avoid confusion with the TRON 2.0 game. That was the logical reason for not going with the title TRON 2.0, even though it sounded much better.
Frankly, I'd be more than happy if the title changed to TRON 2.0. To me, there won't be any confusion. I'm aware that the game and the film will probably have two separate stories, and won't be too closely related. But to your average person: they will probably become very confused as to why there's already a game with that name, and why it's got little to do with the movie.
Let's wait and see where this goes. The fact that the sequel's title has been in constant flux, is somewhat amusing. Come on, Disney! Make up your mind, already.
Thanks to Overmind for the tip!
UPDATE 33: Ain't-it-Cool News has a couple of articles about the TRON sequel being in 3-D, here and here. Knowledge of the fact that the film will be in 3-D, is actually not new. This information was first leaked almost a year ago. But AiC does have a couple of new tidbits of info.
First, is that Digital Domain is able to easily do pre-visualizations in true 3-D now. They can design a scene and preview it right on their screens using special 3-D shutter glasses, and it will basically look the same as what they will be putting in the film itself. Computer graphics has certainly come a long way since 1982, when TRON first helped to pioneer its use.
Second, Claudio Miranda has been hired to work as Director of Photography on the sequel, who has done work for David Fincher on Se7en and Fight Club. Since the TRON sequel's director Joseph Kosinski is a protégé of Fincher's, this appointment makes a lot of sense. Miranda revealed that he's working on the sequel on online radio show MovieGeeksUnited! at the 24:50 mark. He also stated that actual physical sets will be built, and the film will not entirely be shot using the bluescreen process.
Good to know there will still be practical sets. This leads me to believe that the characters will not be all CGI. They wouldn't really need to build sets if the characters were all going to be done completely with motion capture, and just pasting the actors' faces on the CGI characters, would they? I really hope that's the case. I'd much prefer live action mixed with CGI like in the original TRON, rather than all CGI.
With all the recent announcements about people being hired or joining the cast, there is still no news yet as to whetherBruce Boxleitner or Cindy Morgan will be joining the project. And what about Syd Mead? Will he be involved at all?
Thanks to Tr2n for the tip!
UPDATE 34: According to a news headline on the site The Gnomon Workshop, Neville Page has been hired to work on character and costume designs for the TRON sequel.
Thanks to Cyberwolven for the tip!
UPDATE 35: The Official site of Bruce Boxleitner has posted a notice, saying that Bruce has joined the cast of the TRON sequel. (It states, and I quote: "Bruce is going to be in the new TRON movie TR2N!!")
That's fantastic news. It's great to hear that the eponymous lead character of the first film, will be taking part in the sequel. You can't really have a TRON film, without TRON himself.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for the news!
UPDATE 36: Jeff Bridges has updated the Latest News page on his site, with new drawings (done by Bridges himself) that refer to the TRON sequel as an upcoming project. These drawings can be seen on the right.
Note that Jeff refers to the film as a sequel. If there was any doubt left in anyone's mind as to whether the upcoming film was a remake or a sequel to TRON, it will have just been swept away.
There's been something I've been wanting to discuss, for a while now. It's regarding the statement that Bruce Boxleitner is "currently filming" for the sequel.
I wonder if he's actually filming right now. I know the exact same statement is on Bruce's official site, as well. But I wonder if it should be interpreted as "going to film" instead. A lot of press releases announce an actor is "filming" a role, even when he or she isn't actually filming yet.
But let's say the statement is correct, and Bruce is filming for the sequel right now (January 2009, as I write this). What does this mean, exactly? Which role is he filming, for starters? Alan? TRON? Or both? And if he is filming, does it mean his character will be separate and isolated from the rest? Will his appearance amount to nothing more than a cameo? None of the other actors are reported to be filming yet. If Bruce is currently filming by himself, then he won't be interacting with any of the other cast.
Now, of course, they could use visual trickery to make it look as if he's interacting with other members of the cast. Even if he is filming by himself. Kosinski and crew can use stand-ins that are replaced by the real cast, later, through digital frame manipulation and compositing.
But, if Bruce's appearance is restricted to a cameo appearance: I will be quite disappointed. And I have a feeling that most other TRON fans will be upset as well, if true.
Frankly, we need more information in order to know what's going on. I really, really hope that my suspicion is wrong.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for his tip!
UPDATE 37: Sci-Fi Wire has an interview with Olivia Wilde. Though most of the information revealed is what we already know, she does spill a few new details about the TRON sequel.
Meanwhile, the way Olivia Wilde talks about Bruce (the "appearing alongside Jeff Bridges" comment), makes it sound as if he has a fairly significant role in the film and will be interacting with the rest of the cast. I hope that I'm interpreting this correctly, and if this is the case then I am very pleased to hear this. However, I will continue to remain somewhat cynical until I hear more.
As for the "someone's grasping for straws" comment, you'll forgive me if I don't automatically dismiss the story rumor. Olivia might have been asked to deny the story details about her character, because — if it isn't completely correct — it might be a little too close to the truth, to be revealed this early and to spoil things for the fans.
UPDATE 38: The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Garrett Hedlund has been cast as the male lead in the TRON sequel: the character who is pulled into the electronic world by Flynn, to assist him.
Three other interesting facts are stated in the article. One of which, I find to be unwelcome and, frankly, absurd. First, is that the TRON sequel has apparently been budgeted at a cost of $150 million to make. Second, is that Flynn is now the CEO — as opposed to Senior Exec VP? Heh. :) — of a software company. (Is that the CEO of Encom, or fCon? You'll need to have played the TRON 2.0 game in order to know what fCon is.) Third, the title of the film has now apparently changed to simply TRON.
This constant name changing has become ludicrous. The title has gone from TRON, to TR2N, to TRZ, to TRON 2.0, and now possibly back to TRON again. Make up your minds, people! And why the hell would you name the sequel exactly the same as the original? Confusing, or what? If this is some kind of marketing stunt to try and draw more attention to the sequel . . . well, you're not impressing anyone.
UPDATE 39: The TRON Wiki site has an interview with Frank Serafine, who was the sound designer on the original TRON film. He was responsible for creating all the sound effects in TRON, including the Light Cycle sounds.
When asked about the TRON sequel, the following is what Frank had to say.
So what conclusions can we draw from those comments? First, some filming or scene production for the sequel has already taken place. Or else, Frank wouldn't be commenting on "cuts" and could not have seen anything yet. Second, sound effects from the original film are being used in the sequel. Third, Skywalker Sound will be producing the soundtrack for the film.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for his great work!
UPDATE 40: Over at at io9, an anonymous source has revealed that Jeff Bridges recently visited Vancouver, Canada to have his face digitally scanned.
The scan will be used as a basis for the same "face replacement" technique mentioned in an earlier update. Where Jeff's face will be de-aged and replace another actor's face: who will stand-in for him as CLU, particularly when it's required that CLU and Flynn appear in the same scenes together at the same time. CLU is the program that Flynn created in the original film, that apparently still exists in the electronic world, and that may have become corrupt.
UPDATE 41: The Vancouver Sun reports (scroll down, ignoring the part at the beginning) that Disney has set up offices in town, as the first step toward beginning production on the sequel.
But, the more interesting bit of news is that the production budget of the TRON sequel has apparently ballooned from $150 million (according to an earlier report), to $300 million! If I'm not mistaken: that would make the TRON sequel tied with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (another Disney film, no less) as the most expensive movie ever made, to date. And here I thought Disney was cutting back on expenses due to the current economic recession?
I wonder if this information is correct. If so, then the sequel should be one hell of an extravaganza with that kind of budget!
Here's the relevant portion of the story, for those that might have trouble finding it.
Thanks to annemiek for the tip.
UPDATE 42: According to a story on io9, Disney will not be presenting anything about the TRON sequel at the current (as of February, 2009) New York Comicon. Instead, director Joseph Kosinski will be showing new footage at the 2009 San Diego Comicon.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to report some unconfirmed details about the filming location and shooting dates for the sequel.
UPDATE 43: According to an article on Jim Hill Media (scroll to the very bottom), if the TRON sequel is a success: Disney Imagineers are prepared to create a new Light Cycle attraction that will replace the now-closed Peoplemover ride at Disneyland in California.
There were plans for a TRON attraction back in 1982, at the time of the release for the original film. But because TRON wasn't as big a success as Disney had hoped, those plans were shelved. Now, these plans may finally come true.
UPDATE 44: It's been revealed that artist Daniel Simon will be designing the Light Cycles for the TRON sequel, according to a report on io9.
The situation is beginning to look like none of the previous concept artists, who worked on the original TRON film, will be participating in production of the sequel. No Syd Mead, no Moebius, no Andy Probert, or any of the others. Kind of a shame. But Simon's designs seem pretty much in line with what you'd expect to see in TRON.
For examples of his previous work, you can visit his personal web site and explore the extensive galleries.
And according to Moviehole.net, filming for the sequel ends on July 15th, 2009 rather than the earlier reported date of July 10th. But the starting date remains the same. So, in other words, the shooting schedule has been extended by one week.
Thanks to annemiek for the tip about the changed date.
UPDATE 45: An apparent Disney casting call is stating that the title of the TRON sequel has possibly changed to TRON 2.0: The Grid.
Don't know if I particularly care for that title, and frankly I'm not even sure I believe this latest change is true or will stick. But what I find interesting — or more accurately, amusing — is that players of the TRON 2.0 game often say "I'll meet you on the grid" when they want to play the game online together.
Before anybody comments, I know that "the grid" was mentioned frequently in the original film, too. It's just that TRON 2.0 and "the grid" are quoted together so often, on the fan sites. It's an interesting . . . coincidence.
Thanks to TRON.dll for the tip!
UPDATE 46: Ain't-it-Cool News has what could be major spoilers about the storyline for the TRON sequel!
If you don't want to be spoiled, then stop reading now!
If true, these details and the storyline sound very good. First, this news corroborates with the previous update that the title may be TRON 2.0: The Grid, or similar. Second, this storyline would confirm my earlier speculation that CLU is the "corrupt cyber-entity", and Flynn is going to have to right his wrong.
And Flynn whizzing around in a Classic Light Cycle? How cool is that? :)
The storyline would also be very similar to the one in the TRON 2.0 game, save for the substitution of the character Jet Bradley (Alan Bradley's son) with Sean Flynn. It looks like Garrett Hedlund will be playing the role of Sean.
Thanks to achilles for the tip!
UPDATE 47: An article on the site Upcoming Film Scores claims that Daft Punk will be composing the soundtrack to the TRON sequel.
I'm really not sure what to think of that. On the one hand, I do like Daft Punk and I can sort of see why they'd make a good choice. But on the other hand, I'm unsure if they're a good fit. Would their style of music really mesh well with a TRON film? Personally — if director Joseph Kosinski was looking for an electronica band to do the soundtrack — I think Kraftwerk would've been a better fit.
Though, if Daft Punk did the music in the TR2N trailer from the San Diego Comicon last year, the theme in that trailer was quite nice . . .
Thanks to TechFalcon for the tip!
UPDATE 48: After a long dry spell, there's finally some news to report again.
Among other sites, io9 reports that Serinda Swan is saying that she — along with Beau Garrett and two other actresses (one of them being Olivia Wilde) — is playing one of the "temptresses from inside the computer world." She also mentions that: "We're sort of the main guy's go-to girls. There are lights actually sewn into our wardrobe, so it's like nothing you've seen before!"
There are two important facts that can be drawn from these statements.
One, is that for the sequel they have actually embedded lights in the costumes. So that complex special effects to make the characters appear as if they are glowing, won't always be necessary this time around. The improvements in lighting technology (with implementations such as LED or OLED, or electroluminescent wire) since the first TRON film was released in 1982, has made this possible. The old backlight compositing technique used in the first film is completely unnecessary now.
The other, is that there are now four actresses playing female programs in the electronic world. Serinda Swan, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, and . . . who else? Could Cindy Morgan be returning in the TRON sequel, after all?
I tend to agree with the io9 article, about how this latest news sounds like they're trying to add perhaps a little too much sex appeal to the sequel. It's not unwelcome, but it does seem to be trying a bit too hard and going a little overboard.
Also making the rounds is a video of the San Diego Comicon 2008 TRON sequel teaser, with different background music that is perfectly timed to the action. Some people are putting forth the notion that perhaps this music is a newly composed demo by Daft Punk themselves. But until I can find out more, I'm going to conclude that the new music accompanying the teaser is fan made.
Comicon 2008 TRON sequel teaser with unknown music
For the sake of comparison, below is the teaser with the music that was actually presented at the 2008 San Diego Comicon. I, personally, think that music is far better. The unknown music in the other video sounds very bland.
Comicon 2008 bootlegged TRON sequel teaser as originally presented
Click here to see the teaser
Thanks to deadly_cookie and TRON.dll for the tips! Thanks also go out to TheReelTodd, for the TR2N logo. :)
UPDATE 49: As I write this, April Fool's day 2009 is upon us. But even though I'm posting this update today: all this news is real.
First up, a listing on the IMDB TRON sequel page has revealed that the company Quantum Creation FX has been assigned to the "specialty costumes and practical lighting effects" in the film. In other words, they are responsible for the costumes now featuring built-in glowing lights, as mentioned in the previous update. They might be responsible for other practical effects, as well.
And as is being reported by many sources today, Disney showed the same 2008 San Diego Comicon trailer again on March 31st at ShoWest. But this time, they presented it in 3-D. Damn, wish I could've been there.
Out of all the articles discussing the news, the ones at Collider.com and Ain't-it-Cool News had the most to say. I noted that both articles mention how Walt Disney Pictures Group President Mark Zoradi is quoted as saying that Disney was "excited" about the sequel now, and that "the studio finally realizes what Tron means" to the fans. Yeah, about bloody time too! It's only taken 27 years since the first film for you to realize that! ;)
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar and Jademz for the tip about Quantum Creation FX.
UPDATE 50: While there isn't any official confirmation, reports that the TRON sequel has begun filming are starting to appear across the internet. Apparently, a stunt scene involving a motorcycle chase in the real world was one of the first scenes filmed.
Now, for a subject I wasn't planning to bring up again. At ShoWest, Disney was reported as stating that the sequel is currently simply being referred to as TRON. As I've mentioned before: the name games Disney is playing with the sequel is likely the idea of some marketing "genius", to keep the film in the news and on everyone's lips.
What better way to keep the sequel in the thoughts of the public at large, than to keep them guessing as to what to even call the film? That way, every time Disney changes the name they get more free publicity. Personally, I think the whole idea is beyond a joke at this point. They're simply embarrassing themselves now. Just call it TR2N, TRON 2.0, or TRON 2, and be done with it already.
Anyway, what made me bring this up again is that over at SlashFilm, their representative at ShoWest revealed that the TRON font/logo for the sequel has changed from the original. He drew a replica to the best of his ability, which is shown on the right.
As someone noted in the comments: the T and the R could be interpreted as showing a program riding a Light Cycle, with the O representing the rear wheel. And the N could possibly double for a "2" turned 90 degrees on to its side.
Thanks to maxiekat for the tip about the filming reports.
UPDATE 51: I noticed that SlashFilm has re-drawn their facsimile of the TRON sequel logo, probably in an attempt to be more accurate to what was seen at ShoWest. The newly drawn logo is below, and the old version can be seen in the previous update.
I have to say, that I'm not a fan of the new font/logo. What's wrong with the original designed by Syd Mead, from the first film? It looked great. It just works. No need to change it. Merely stick a "2" on it somewhere, and you're done.
I'm not against a certain amount of change in the sequel. But there are things that can be changed, and things that should be left alone because they're iconic. The TRON font/logo is one of them.
UPDATE 52: SlashFilm comes through again with more morsels, including discussion about the filming of the TRON sequel and the very first set photo from the film in Vancouver, Canada.
Do I spy a new shorthand version of the Encom logo in the photo? Shrunk down from the full length version, it kind of reminds me of the Intel Inside logo a little bit. The full size Encom logo can also be seen, if you look very carefully. It's on the left side of the building. At first glance, the logo looks like light reflecting off the left wall from that red light source. But if you scrutinize the "reflection" carefully, it's actually the full Encom logo.
Click here for a larger view of the picture
UPDATE 53: SlashFilm has what it claims is a photo of an extra from the TRON sequel, off-set but still in his TRON costume, as can be seen on the right. Whee, how exciting. It's obviously a slow news day. But if the idea of seeing someone wearing spandex with his back turned while stuffing his face excites you, there it is.
What's much more interesting, is that it's been revealed that the Encom building is apparently supposed to be set in New York city in the film. And according to an unsubstantiated rumor, Garrett Hedlund is only now arriving to begin filming his scenes as his character Sean Flynn, Kevin Flynn's son. Up until this point, it looks like filming may have only been what's known as second unit photography, with the less important scenes and stunt shots being done first to get them out of the way.
Thanks to TechFalcon and maxiekat for the tips!
UPDATE 54: SlashFilm continues to deliver the goods. They've just obtained a couple more shots from on the set: one featuring director of photography Claudio Miranda at work, the other a female extra dressed in her TRON program costume. Unfortunately, though, she's wrapped in a blanket covering up most of her costume so that we can't really see much. Apparently, the filming was taking place in the downtown area of Vancouver known as Gastown.
I found alternative versions of the photos in the article, including one that features the same female extra, but the image isn't cropped down.
At the request of someone working on the film, a portion of this update has been removed. It wasn't terribly exciting or important information, anyway, concerning additional technical details of the 3-D cameras being used.
In addition, it's reported that the budget is not $300 million, after all. There's been confusion about whether this figure is true or not, and whether the quoted amount was in U.S. or Canadian dollars. Apparently, it's neither and the budget is lower than that. But it wouldn't surprise me if the film still clocks in at somewhere close to the $200 million mark.
Now, on to something that concerns me a bit. This is the second time we've seen someone in a TRON costume on an outdoor set.
The first time may have just been the guy on break. He was standing in front of a food services cart. But why is this girl on the set outdoors in a TRON program costume? Did she just stop by to have a chat with Claudio Miranda? Or was she in a scene on that outdoor location?
Something that sets off warning bells is that I know the plot of the cancelled TRON 3.0 game (what would have been a quick followup to the TRON 2.0 game) involved the electronic world and the real world crossing over . . . programs coming into our world.
UPDATE 55: Some more photos from the set of the TRON sequel have been discovered, taken by a tourist on April 6th which was the first day of shooting.
Is that Garrett Hedlund wearing the parachute harness? (Unconfirmed rumor states that he was spotted in the departures area at the Vancouver airport, on or about April 11th.) Then again, it might not be Garrett and just someone that looks similar to him. The film crew might not be allowing him to do his own stunts. But if it was a short drop, then maybe they'd let him do it? At any rate, it kind of looks like Garrett to me, who is playing the role of Kevin Flynn's son: Sean Flynn.
UPDATE 56: Two quick tidbits of info I've recently discovered, by perusing the official sites of Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges. One of them is a potential spoiler, so you may not want to read the rest of this update!
UPDATE 57: According to Karl Urban, in an interview he did with the site PC Authority, the rumors concerning him appearing in the TRON sequel are false.
UPDATE 58: Over at io9, they had a word or two with Jay Maynard — better known as TRON Guy — about the sequel. They ask his thoughts and opinions on what the sequel may be like, and Jay reveals that, so far, he has not been asked to appear in a cameo role in the film.
UPDATE 59: Ain't-it-Cool News has a new photo from on the set of the sequel, along with a description of what's supposed to be happening in the scene.
I've also just discovered that the May 2009 issue of Empire magazine will have an article about the sequel. A preview of the May issue's cover can be seen on the right. Not sure what to make of the "TRON Rebooted" quip in the corner, yet.
Thanks to maxiekat for the tip about Empire!
UPDATE 60: I've managed to get a sneak peek at the upcoming Empire article, mentioned in the previous update. I won't post any images or quote the article wholesale, because Empire would likely not be too happy about that.
What I will say, is that the first two pages of the article have a retrospective about the first film, meant for newcomers to TRON. There is only one significant quote in the portion of the article I was able to read, about the sequel.
And over at Coming Attractions, they have a little more detail about what's supposed to be going on, in the scene occurring in the photo in the previous update.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for the tip about Coming Attractions!
UPDATE 61: A rumor is beginning to circulate, that actor Michael Sheen has joined the cast of the TRON sequel to play a villain.
If true, I wonder if he's been cast as a replacement for David Warner, to play Dillinger or Sark. Although the character of Dillinger would be quite old by now, Sheen could be made up to look older than he is.
There's also another unconfirmed rumor out there, claiming that Disney has decided to move up the release of the sequel from 2011 to 2010. Thanks to maxiekat for the tip on this one.
I also have it on good authority that the female "extra" in the program costume in a previous update is, in fact, Olivia Wilde. This lends credence to the speculation that programs are crossing over from the electronic world to the real one.
UPDATE 62: According to an article on the National Ledger (scroll to the bottom) and elsewhere, actor James Frain has joined the cast of the TRON sequel.
Thanks to maxiekat for the tip!
UPDATE 63: Although reports from the 2009 San Diego Comicon in July, will probably be our first chance to see new glimpses of the TRON sequel, Disney's D23 Expo will also be presenting a preview of the film.
The expo will be taking place from September 10th-13th, 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can find prices and book tickets here, if interested.
Thanks to Jademz for the tip.
UPDATE 64: Over at collider.com, they state that it's almost certain we'll be shown a new TRON sequel trailer, at the 2009 San Diego Comicon taking place between July 23rd and 26th. I was a bit concerned that Disney may hold back sequel news and save it for their D23 Expo in September (mentioned in the previous update), but it looks like they might not do that after all.
Meanwhile, radio station Classic Rock 101 in Vancouver just posted a couple of videos from their recent interview with Jeff Bridges. Click here to watch Part 1 and Part 2. Each part is about an hour long. I'll save you from watching the videos by stating that Jeff spoke very little about the sequel.
At about the 13:08 mark in Part 1, Jeff mentions that filming will wrap in the middle of July. Which we already pretty much knew. He also explains how the drawing he made (shown on the right) was inspired by the Cardboard TRON fan video.
At roughly the 53:49 mark in Part 2, Jeff talks about how the process of making the sequel has changed so much from the original TRON. How, despite the fact that he was attracted to making the original because of how futuristic it seemed for its time, the advances between then and now are incredible.
Thanks to maxiekat for the tip about the Jeff Bridges interview!
UPDATE 65: The site CC2K has posted an article discussing what is claimed to be the details of an early draft of the script to the TRON sequel. Needless to say, this deserves a great big SPOILER WARNING, and you may not want to read it.
However, I can state with reasonable certainty that this early draft by Richard Jeffries will likely end up having little resemblance to the finished product. It's been said that this draft was not met with enthusiasm or approval from the powers-that-be and was, for the most part, scrapped in favor of completely starting over.
Also, if this script was anywhere near close to the real final script: Disney's lawyers would have swooped in and issued a cease and desist order to the site, awfully quick.
Thanks to aldul for the news!
UPDATE 66: Although not the most reliable source of information, IMDB is listing Amy Esterle as having joined the cast of the TRON sequel. Her role is listed as "Young Mrs. Flynn". No doubt meaning that she'll be appearing in a flashback as Kevin Flynn's wife, and leading protagonist Sean Flynn's mother.
Thanks to Jademz for the tip.
UPDATE 67: Disney has sent out a press release, detailing their scheduled panels at the upcoming 2009 San Diego Comicon. The following are the important sections relating to the TRON sequel.
First, and most importantly, this confirms that a new trailer for the sequel will be shown at Comicon on July 23rd on or about 11:00 AM. Steven Lisberger, director and writer on the original TRON film, will also be present. And, somewhat surprisingly, the new TRON footage will be shown in 3-D. I wasn't sure if the footage would be presented in 3-D, due to additional complexity and cost in setting up such an event. But hearing that the new trailer will debut in 3-D is marvellous to hear. (Just too bad I won't be there to see it . . .)
The press release also contains some more small details about the plot of the sequel. It's more or less the same as what we already knew, if you've been following the rumors and updates. Kevin Flynn digitized himself into the electronic world a long time ago, and his son then follows him in and joins in his adventures inside the computer. The only new item that stands out, is that Flynn's son is now suddenly being referred to as Sam instead of Sean. (Personally, I preferred Sean.) A deliberate change, or a mistake in the press release?
I see that the title of the film is still referred to as "not final". And that's as much time as I'm going to devote to discussing it. I got sick of the name changing game a long time ago.
Thanks to Qix77 for the news!
UPDATE 68:
IMDB has listed another new addition to the cast of the TRON sequel. Brandon Jay McLaren will apparently be playing Sean Flynn's (or is it Sam now?) real world best friend, named Sobel.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for the tip.
Also, while I was looking at the updated listing on IMDB, I noticed a new entry in the special effects credit section that piqued my interest.
Rowsby - Digital effects artist: CG Hair Styling
It would appear that the programs in the electronic world are going to show their hair this time around, instead of hiding it under helmets. And not only that, this may even mean the possibility of some really bizarre, out-there hair styles being created. Since anything is possible in the computer realm.
UPDATE 69: As I write this — the day before the second TRON sequel trailer is rumored to debut at the 2009 San Diego Comicon (July 23rd, 2009) — I've decided to round up various odds and ends: bits of news that I've come across but have yet to mention. To get them out of the way, due to the forthcoming flood of new information.
These updates are a mixture of my own findings, and tips from various fans. Thanks to Mr. Sinistar, Maxiekat, Plumpien, Babineau, SunnySammyBoy, and Doc-Fan for sharing their information.
This article is no longer being updated. For further updates, please visit this newer article.
Ain't-it-Cool News is reporting that three minutes of teaser footage for the TRON sequel, was shown at this year's San Diego Comicon.
For a description of the trailer, read the article here.
First off, the description of the trailer reads like a dream come true. It sounds like they've stayed very true and faithful to the original film. Even better, Jeff Bridges appears in the trailer. Yes, Flynn is back!
Second, the tentative title for the sequel is apparently TR2N. I was wondering how they were going to handle this, considering TRON 2.0 has already been used for the game. The only other logical alternative would have been TRON 2. I'm not sure about that proposed title yet, but I guess it is sort of "cool" and "clever". I wouldn't object to it being the final title that they use.
Third, the news of teaser footage for a TRON sequel already being shown this early, has completely taken me by surprise. I really was not expecting any sort of progress on the film, any time soon. I mean, there still hasn't been an official greenlighting announcement.
But considering that Disney went to the effort of commissioning a teaser/test trailer and bringing Jeff Bridges back for it, indicates to me that they've gotten serious about making a sequel, after all.
No word yet on whether Disney is following through on the TRON sequel in 3-D rumor, though.
Thanks to Auric at TRON-Sector for the news!
UPDATE 1: The Disney Blog claims that the film "was greenlit", and that "casting has been finished and filming commenced". But until I see an official greenlit announcement press release from Disney, I would consider this to be wishful thinking. Unless the article's author isn't telling us something, that was said at Comicon.
The Hollywood Reporter article from last year, that first announced this latest attempt at a TRON follow-up, was not a bona fide greenlight announcement. This teaser sounds like a test reel to me, that was made to impress the Disney executives, in order to get them to actually greenlight the project. Which Disney decided to show off at Comicon, to gauge public interest.
UPDATE 2: An article I found on a Hollywood Reporter affiliate site, seems to confirm my suspicion.
The scene, from director Joseph Kosinski, is actually test footage to see how feasible a remake. - Borys Kit, Risky Biz Blog/The Hollywood Reporter
UPDATE 3: The site Jim Hill Media, also states that the trailer was "proof of concept" footage, but continues by stating that the film has been greenlighted, even if it hasn't been widely announced yet. The subheading for the article's title reads "Tron sequel has finally officially been greenlit".
UPDATE 4: Ain't-it-Cool has an update, with a couple more details about the teaser. First, the rumor that the film will be in 3-D has been confirmed. Apparently, Disney couldn't get it done for 3-D presentation in time for Comicon. Second, the yellow program character that appears to be a younger Flynn, is the character CLU from the first film. Makes sense. Looks like Flynn wrote another CLU program.
As you probably could have guessed, there's a placeholder tr2n.com site on the internet. If you do a domain name lookup, you'll see that the site has been live since December 2007. So that means if we'd known the title was going to be "TR2N", we could have spotted the site long ago as a sign that there was something in the works regarding the sequel. Also, considering the site is hosted at Apple (and not Disney): could it suggest Pixar's involvement, perhaps?
I'm reaching a bit, I know. But I just can't see a TRON sequel being made, without Pixar's involvement. Many people working at Pixar, such as John Lasseter, cite TRON as their original inspiration for getting into the computer graphics industry.
UPDATE 5: According to a post on TRON-Sector from DaveTRON (a friend of Steven Lisberger), Jeff Bridges is the only actor from the original film that is currently involved in the sequel, so far.
UPDATE 6: The first shakey cam footage of the TR2N teaser has appeared! Watch it now, before Disney puts the kibosh on it! Copy and paste the video link at a site like keepvid.com to save a copy for yourself, before it disappears!
Thanks to TRON.dll for the tip!
If a better quality version turns up, I'll be sure to post it! :)
UPDATE 7:
It turns out that the tr2n.com site is not affiliated with Disney, after all.
I simply cannot believe that Disney didn't have the foresight to reserve this domain name, earlier. Unless the "TR2N" name was decided on at a very late stage, or the current domain name owners are cybersquatting and held out for too much money. So, I guess we'll be seeing "tr2nmovie.com", or somesuch, instead.
UPDATE 8: To tie in with the previous update, Harry Knowles at Ain't-it-Cool hints that a high quality version of the teaser could be coming soon. Official site with the teaser soon, you think? ;)
UPDATE 9: Now there are rumors swirling around, that Jim Hill Media was incorrect about TR2N being greenlit, coming to me from both a public and a private source. Taking into account the fact that Disney apparently did not bother to reserve any internet domain names for a sequel, makes me begin to wonder if Disney is really serious, after all.
UPDATE 10: Jay Maynard — better known as TRON Guy — says that so far he hasn't been approached about appearing in the movie. I think it would be pretty neat if he made a cameo appearance.
Also, I just realized that I haven't touched upon Steven Lisberger's involvement, yet. For those that don't know, Lisberger was the co-writer and director of the original TRON film. At this point, it's only been confirmed that he is acting as a producer on the sequel. He won't be directing, because he's currently busy on his Soul Code project. Joseph Kosinski would be directing TR2N.
What I'd really like to know, is how much material from Steven Lisberger's sequel scripts that he's written, will make it into TR2N. According to DaveTRON, certain elements from Steven's script treatments were used in the teaser. Most notably, the "Flynn as Colonel Kurtz inside the computer" idea. But according to previous news, Steven is not writing the sequel's story.
UPDATE 11: For those of you wondering about the release date of the TR2N sequel: rumors place it anywhere from next year in 2009, all the way to 2011. If I were to wager on the year, I'd say either 2010 or 2011. Most likely Spring 2011, according to earlier news.
UPDATE 12: An article on Jim Hill Media, has quite a lot of new information to offer.
- John Lasseter of Pixar is supposed to be the driving force behind the attempt at a TR2N sequel, within the halls of Disney, and is very hands on with the project. If this is true, it would confirm my earlier speculation.
- However, Steven Lisberger is apparently very much not involved. Which, to me, is rather disappointing if true.
- Joseph Kosinski is said to have worked secretly for six months with Digital Domain, to create the teaser. For those who don't know, a couple of the people who helped found Digital Domain were James Cameron and Stan Winston, and Digital Domain did most of the CGI work on Cameron's films after Terminator 2.
UPDATE 13: A source who wishes to remain anonymous, has pointed me to an artist's online album with some concept artwork that was commissioned last year, for the potential sequel. Apparently, the style seen in this "Tron 2.0" artwork was ultimately not chosen, as judging by the teaser. My first impression upon seeing this concept was that — while the circuit traces and the disc look good — the helmet reminds me too much of Spawn.UPDATE 14: Harry Knowles at Ain't-it-Cool News has an article up, where he mentions that he's been in contact with Steven Lisberger. Lisberger states that "Jim Hill’s piece on Tr2n sounds very dramatic" and that he is still involved.
My capacity is to be the best creative force I can be on the project and a mentor - which is my job as Producer.
- Steven Lisberger, to Harry Knowles at Ain't-it-Cool News
UPDATE 15: A statement from the webmaster of Jeff Bridges' web site states: "Jeff is currently in deep prep mode for Crazy Heart and Tron2, which is being written and will film some time next year." This statement on its own is actually not 100% clear, as it could be referring to either Crazy Heart or TR2N.
But further investigation of the site, reveals a page where Jeff himself states that work on the film Crazy Heart is about to begin for him. Therefore, confirming that the "next year" statement is indeed referring to TR2N, and that Jeff is definitely involved in the sequel.
Thanks to Simbeau for the tip.
UPDATE 16: In a fairly recent interview with Starlog magazine, Cindy Morgan was quoted as saying: "They told me that if they made any more TRON follow-ups, they’re planning to bring back Yori." While not an absolute confirmation of her returning (the interview was published in April 2007), I thought it was still worth mentioning.
UPDATE 17: Tom's Games has a new article up, discussing the TR2N sequel. The article doesn't include any information that we didn't already know. But it does have a brief interview with Steven Lisberger, which still makes it worth reading. Even if Lisberger himself doesn't really reveal any new information, either.
Thanks again to Simbeau, for the tip.
UPDATE 18: IMDB now lists Karl Urban and John Hurt as having joined the cast of TR2N. IMDB has also changed the release from 2010 to 2011. Additionally, IMDB lists Steven Lisberger as a writer now. Which was not the case, before.
But at this time, only Jeff Bridges has been confirmed as appearing in the sequel. Until I come across another source that backs up IMDB: this is something to file under the "strictly rumor" category, for now. IMDB isn't known for being the most reliable source of pre-production news on films, anyway. In fact, you can ignore the "filming" status indicated on the page. It really should say "pre-production". There's no script yet. So there can't very well be filming, without a script.
If John Hurt is appearing in the sequel: I could easily see him as a replacement for David Warner, playing a Dillinger-like or Sark-like character.
Thanks again to TRON.dll, for the tip!
UPDATE 19: At the recent Walt Disney Studios Showcase for 2008, in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood — where Disney presented its catalogue of upcoming films — the same TR2N teaser presented at the 2008 San Diego Comicon, was shown again.
Despite all the media attention and enthusiasm, Disney has still not released an official greenlight press release for TR2N. But this recent news is very welcome, because it re-affirms Disney's commitment to making the sequel. They wouldn't be showing the trailer again — particularly to people within the industry — if they weren't seriously considering making TR2N a reality.
UPDATE 20: Ain't-it-Cool News has an additional take on the Disney Studios Showcase event. Their report has Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook quoted as saying TR2N is "for sure a go". The crowd reaction to the teaser is also said to have been very positive, like it was at Comicon.
UPDATE 21: The Guardian newspaper in the UK has recently published a new interview with Jeff Bridges. Among the topics discussed, is TRON and the TR2N sequel. He reveals that he did CGI motion capture for the TR2N teaser, most likely for the green/yellow CLU character that threatens the blue program at the end."Ah, the G-string. You've got to love it. I'm wearing one now!" Jeff Bridges is sitting in the sunny surroundings of one of Santa Monica's beachfront hotels, and, if he is wearing a G-string, it's hidden beneath his blue jeans. Our conversation has turned to skimpy sartorial objects courtesy of Bridges' decision to star in the new Tron movie; as fans of the original 1982 film will recall, back then he wore something that resembled a neon "mankini".Thanks to NoExcuses and isMetaClass for the info!
"I'm not sure if I'll be wearing that again!" he laughs. "Seriously though, doing the new Tron movie is something that is just too good to pass up."
Is that why you signed up for the new Tron movie?
Yeah, that's another unique, wild experience that was too good to turn down. Engaging in that world again feels just like it did all that time ago. Basically, I'm still a child, I love being childlike, and here was another chance to play with these crazy toys. And the cutting-edge technology makes it exciting. Doing the teaser trailer for Comic-Con, I had my first experience of motion capture. And that's turning the industry on its head. It's amazing being part of that.
There's such a retro love for Tron. How do you bring it up to date?
Well, when we made Tron there was no internet, no cellphones. But now we have motion capture, so I think we'll get a far more successful version of the story, which is someone literally getting sucked into a video game. When we did King Kong in the 70s, one minute you'd have a shot of Rick Baker in this big suit and then you'd cut to this 80ft stiff model, and they looked nothing alike. Compare to that Peter Jackson's King Kong the technology is there and they did a wonderful job. I thought they created a beautiful Kong. So I hope that'll be the same for Tron.
- Jeff Bridges Interview, The Guardian
UPDATE 22: Ain't-it-Cool News reports that Disney is finally starting to hire crew, to begin pre-production on the TR2N sequel. One of the people coming on board is Michael Wilkinson, who is costume designer on the films Terminator Salvation, Watchmen, and 300. If this is the case: isn't it about time Disney also finally puts out a press release, announcing the film has been greenlighted?
Thanks to cirlin for the tip.
UPDATE 23: Ain't-it-Cool News has some brief details about what happened at the recent 5D Conference. Apparently, a more detailed article will follow. Right now, the only new tidbits of information revealed are the following.
- TR2N is likely to take 24 months of production to complete.
- Production has already been underway for "a while now". (If so, where the hell is that greenlighting press release?)
- Kosinski believes the film could be ready by late 2010.
After reading the article, I could only smack my forehead and grumble "why didn't I think of that before". To sum it up: the uncertainty of a potential strike by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), has studios holding back on production for many films until spring or summer next year. And right now, TR2N has only been confirmed to be in pre-production. So, we might have to wait a while yet for the official greenlighting announcement.
UPDATE 25: If you scroll up this article back to the 13th update, you'll see a piece of concept art for TR2N that wasn't used. In the meantime, some more information about that work has presented itself, along with another piece of concept art as seen on the right.These two concepts were created by an artist who goes by the handle Falarsimons on Deviantart. If you read his comments on this page: you'll see that Digital Domain was looking for design concept proposals from artists, for TR2N.
As it turns out, these concepts will not be used. Nevertheless, it's an interesting study of one artist's take, on what an updated look for TR2N might have looked like. And it pretty much confirms that Digital Domain will be doing most, if not all, of the CGI on TR2N.
While I personally wasn't fond of the circuitry suit proposal, I'm more receptive to this Light Cycle design. It looks pretty sweet, except — again — for the blue circuitry design on the bottom, which is a bit too busy looking.
Thanks to pathfinder for the tip!
UPDATE 26: Over at Staggering Stories, their latest podcast talks a bit about TR2N. There isn't really any new information to be heard, but it's another source claiming that TR2N has essentially been greenlit. One interesting bit is that they describe the film as currently being in "development hell" at the moment. All of this can be heard at about the 11:00 mark.
UPDATE 27: According to Jim Hill Media, TR2N will be heavily promoted on Disney's upcoming XD channel — which will be a re-branded version of their Disney Channel — set to debut in early 2009.
UPDATE 28: Digital Domain's site finally lists TR2N as part of their "Feature Films In Production" section. It also lists the film as having a 2010 release. I'd checked Digital Domain's site before, but at that time they weren't admitting to working on TR2N. I was wondering when they were finally going to own up to it.
I find it interesting that Disney has chosen to outsource to Digital Domain, rather than do the work internally at Pixar. I guess Pixar has their plate full and can't take on TR2N as well. But I have no doubt that John Lasseter and other key figures at Pixar are overseeing the work that Digital Domain will do for TR2N.
Thanks to TechFalcon for the tip!
UPDATE 29: According to IGN, who got their information from the magazine Production Weekly, the TRON movie sequel's name will be changed from TR2N to TRZ.
Four words. You must be joking. I really hope this is some kind of mistake or misunderstanding. TR2N was already bad enough. But I could at least stomach it, because — as crazy as this may sound — of any film that could get away with a title like that, it would be the sequel to TRON. The original film's main protagonist (Flynn) was a hacker, after all. The TR2N leet-speak or texting-speak could apply, because that's the kind of lingo that hackers do use. As silly as it is.
But TRZ? Ridiculous. What the hell does that even mean? How would that title immediately make you think "TRON sequel"? It sure as hell doesn't with me. Whoever came up with the idea for such a title, needs to be fired. Fast! :)
The IGN article also provides the synopsis of the film's plot.
The plot synopsis meanwhile is as follows: "After being transported into the surreal landscape of a mainframe computer to destroy an intruder, a programmer finds himself allied with the leader of a rebellion against a corrupt cyber-entity."I honestly thought the story would be the opposite take. That Flynn had lost his way, and was abusing his power as a User inside the system. And that TRON and the other programs would start a revolution, against Flynn and the Users. I think that would have been a more interesting tale. I mean, how tempted would anyone be to abuse the powers Flynn had in the first film, once they discovered they had them? The story could have ended with Flynn redeeming himself, realizing what had been happening to him, and making a noble sacrifice to amend for the damage he'd done.
The original Tron saw Jeff Bridges' programmer Kevin Flynn transported into a computer to battle the software pirate Master Control with the help of benign safety system Tron.
This new plot synopsis suggests that Jeff Bridges' character -- who sent the crowd wild at the Comic-Con presentation -- would now be teaming up with a new programmer to defend the computer system from former ally Tron. Maybe.
- Orlando Parfitt, IGN Entertainment
But perhaps the "corrupt cyber-entity" is not, in fact, TRON. It's CLU. In the Comicon trailer, Flynn witnessed a green program (presumably) destroy another, blue program. Now imagine how Flynn would feel if it was his own creation, CLU, that was responsible for ravaging the electronic world. That it was his own alter-ego — perhaps even with the same abilities as he had in the first film, making CLU a User-Program rather than an ordinary Program.
Now that would be an interesting twist.
But, I'll wait for further details to see how this reported storyline develops. It could turn out better than it currently sounds.
UPDATE 30: According to IMDB's MOVIEMeter Top 25 Films of 2008 list: the TRON Sequel ranked fourth in popularity, beating out titles such as Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Incredible Hulk, Terminator: Salvation, Dragonball, Quantum of Solace, and Star Trek.
This, folks, is an incredible achievement. I hope, now, that Disney realizes what a buzz the news about a TRON sequel has created across the internet, and what an opportunity they've been missing out on all these years. We've waited for a TRON sequel, for far too long.
UPDATE 31: As one of many sites reporting the news, Firstshowing.net has an article with quite a bit of new information about the TRON sequel.
Some not insignificant spoilers follow, so you may want to stop reading here.
First off, actresses Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett have joined the cast. Wilde will play a worker in the electronic world, while Garrett will play another female program also from the electronic world.
Wilde's character apparently assists the real world programmer brought in by Flynn — mentioned in a previous update to this article — by facing off against the "corrupt cyber-entity" . And as it turns out, the "entity" is . . . the MCP.
On the one hand, the thought of the MCP returning really appeals to me. But on the other hand, the return of the MCP is also utterly predictable. For any people who are dedicated TRON fans, the first villain they would expect to appear in a sequel is either Dillinger or the MCP (or both). Having Flynn (or his alter-ego, CLU) become a villain would not have been as easily foreseen. Oh well.
Perhaps the best news of all, is hearing that the new title of TRZ for the sequel is apparently not true. What a relief. TRZ would have been an incredibly stupid title, even more so than TR2N.
UPDATE 32: I noticed this in the Firstshowing.net article in the previous news update, when the casting of Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett was announced. But I didn't think much of it. Until now.
IMDB has changed the title in the listing for the TRON sequel, from TR2N to TRON 2.0. And here I thought that the whole point of using TR2N, was to avoid confusion with the TRON 2.0 game. That was the logical reason for not going with the title TRON 2.0, even though it sounded much better.
Frankly, I'd be more than happy if the title changed to TRON 2.0. To me, there won't be any confusion. I'm aware that the game and the film will probably have two separate stories, and won't be too closely related. But to your average person: they will probably become very confused as to why there's already a game with that name, and why it's got little to do with the movie.
Let's wait and see where this goes. The fact that the sequel's title has been in constant flux, is somewhat amusing. Come on, Disney! Make up your mind, already.
Thanks to Overmind for the tip!
UPDATE 33: Ain't-it-Cool News has a couple of articles about the TRON sequel being in 3-D, here and here. Knowledge of the fact that the film will be in 3-D, is actually not new. This information was first leaked almost a year ago. But AiC does have a couple of new tidbits of info.
First, is that Digital Domain is able to easily do pre-visualizations in true 3-D now. They can design a scene and preview it right on their screens using special 3-D shutter glasses, and it will basically look the same as what they will be putting in the film itself. Computer graphics has certainly come a long way since 1982, when TRON first helped to pioneer its use.
Second, Claudio Miranda has been hired to work as Director of Photography on the sequel, who has done work for David Fincher on Se7en and Fight Club. Since the TRON sequel's director Joseph Kosinski is a protégé of Fincher's, this appointment makes a lot of sense. Miranda revealed that he's working on the sequel on online radio show MovieGeeksUnited! at the 24:50 mark. He also stated that actual physical sets will be built, and the film will not entirely be shot using the bluescreen process.
Good to know there will still be practical sets. This leads me to believe that the characters will not be all CGI. They wouldn't really need to build sets if the characters were all going to be done completely with motion capture, and just pasting the actors' faces on the CGI characters, would they? I really hope that's the case. I'd much prefer live action mixed with CGI like in the original TRON, rather than all CGI.
With all the recent announcements about people being hired or joining the cast, there is still no news yet as to whether
Thanks to Tr2n for the tip!
UPDATE 34: According to a news headline on the site The Gnomon Workshop, Neville Page has been hired to work on character and costume designs for the TRON sequel.
Thanks to Cyberwolven for the tip!
UPDATE 35: The Official site of Bruce Boxleitner has posted a notice, saying that Bruce has joined the cast of the TRON sequel. (It states, and I quote: "Bruce is going to be in the new TRON movie TR2N!!")
That's fantastic news. It's great to hear that the eponymous lead character of the first film, will be taking part in the sequel. You can't really have a TRON film, without TRON himself.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for the news!
UPDATE 36: Jeff Bridges has updated the Latest News page on his site, with new drawings (done by Bridges himself) that refer to the TRON sequel as an upcoming project. These drawings can be seen on the right.Note that Jeff refers to the film as a sequel. If there was any doubt left in anyone's mind as to whether the upcoming film was a remake or a sequel to TRON, it will have just been swept away.
There's been something I've been wanting to discuss, for a while now. It's regarding the statement that Bruce Boxleitner is "currently filming" for the sequel.
I wonder if he's actually filming right now. I know the exact same statement is on Bruce's official site, as well. But I wonder if it should be interpreted as "going to film" instead. A lot of press releases announce an actor is "filming" a role, even when he or she isn't actually filming yet.
But let's say the statement is correct, and Bruce is filming for the sequel right now (January 2009, as I write this). What does this mean, exactly? Which role is he filming, for starters? Alan? TRON? Or both? And if he is filming, does it mean his character will be separate and isolated from the rest? Will his appearance amount to nothing more than a cameo? None of the other actors are reported to be filming yet. If Bruce is currently filming by himself, then he won't be interacting with any of the other cast.
Now, of course, they could use visual trickery to make it look as if he's interacting with other members of the cast. Even if he is filming by himself. Kosinski and crew can use stand-ins that are replaced by the real cast, later, through digital frame manipulation and compositing.
But, if Bruce's appearance is restricted to a cameo appearance: I will be quite disappointed. And I have a feeling that most other TRON fans will be upset as well, if true.
Frankly, we need more information in order to know what's going on. I really, really hope that my suspicion is wrong.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for his tip!
UPDATE 37: Sci-Fi Wire has an interview with Olivia Wilde. Though most of the information revealed is what we already know, she does spill a few new details about the TRON sequel.
- The sequel begins shooting in April, in Vancouver, Canada.
- The film will "make use of face-replacement computer technology last seen in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".
- Wilde claims that Bruce Boxleitner will "be in the movie, alongside his Tron co-star Jeff Bridges".
- With regards to the previous story description, that described her character as a program in the electronic world that helps to fight the MCP: "I tell you, it's not a great description. I don't know who made it up. Someone's grasping for straws there".
Meanwhile, the way Olivia Wilde talks about Bruce (the "appearing alongside Jeff Bridges" comment), makes it sound as if he has a fairly significant role in the film and will be interacting with the rest of the cast. I hope that I'm interpreting this correctly, and if this is the case then I am very pleased to hear this. However, I will continue to remain somewhat cynical until I hear more.
As for the "someone's grasping for straws" comment, you'll forgive me if I don't automatically dismiss the story rumor. Olivia might have been asked to deny the story details about her character, because — if it isn't completely correct — it might be a little too close to the truth, to be revealed this early and to spoil things for the fans.
UPDATE 38: The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Garrett Hedlund has been cast as the male lead in the TRON sequel: the character who is pulled into the electronic world by Flynn, to assist him.
Three other interesting facts are stated in the article. One of which, I find to be unwelcome and, frankly, absurd. First, is that the TRON sequel has apparently been budgeted at a cost of $150 million to make. Second, is that Flynn is now the CEO — as opposed to Senior Exec VP? Heh. :) — of a software company. (Is that the CEO of Encom, or fCon? You'll need to have played the TRON 2.0 game in order to know what fCon is.) Third, the title of the film has now apparently changed to simply TRON.
This constant name changing has become ludicrous. The title has gone from TRON, to TR2N, to TRZ, to TRON 2.0, and now possibly back to TRON again. Make up your minds, people! And why the hell would you name the sequel exactly the same as the original? Confusing, or what? If this is some kind of marketing stunt to try and draw more attention to the sequel . . . well, you're not impressing anyone.
UPDATE 39: The TRON Wiki site has an interview with Frank Serafine, who was the sound designer on the original TRON film. He was responsible for creating all the sound effects in TRON, including the Light Cycle sounds.
When asked about the TRON sequel, the following is what Frank had to say.
I've seen some cuts that they've done. Somebody sent me something online and I'm hearing all of my sound effects in the cuts that they've done, so I know they're using my sound effects. They're doing it up at Skywalker Sound and they haven't asked me, I think Skywalker will probably take a lot of my original elements and incorporate them into the new film and probably do the film up there at Skywalker. I think that's what's going on.
- Frank Serafine, Sound Designer for the original TRON film
So what conclusions can we draw from those comments? First, some filming or scene production for the sequel has already taken place. Or else, Frank wouldn't be commenting on "cuts" and could not have seen anything yet. Second, sound effects from the original film are being used in the sequel. Third, Skywalker Sound will be producing the soundtrack for the film.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for his great work!
UPDATE 40: Over at at io9, an anonymous source has revealed that Jeff Bridges recently visited Vancouver, Canada to have his face digitally scanned.
The scan will be used as a basis for the same "face replacement" technique mentioned in an earlier update. Where Jeff's face will be de-aged and replace another actor's face: who will stand-in for him as CLU, particularly when it's required that CLU and Flynn appear in the same scenes together at the same time. CLU is the program that Flynn created in the original film, that apparently still exists in the electronic world, and that may have become corrupt.
UPDATE 41: The Vancouver Sun reports (scroll down, ignoring the part at the beginning) that Disney has set up offices in town, as the first step toward beginning production on the sequel.
But, the more interesting bit of news is that the production budget of the TRON sequel has apparently ballooned from $150 million (according to an earlier report), to $300 million! If I'm not mistaken: that would make the TRON sequel tied with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (another Disney film, no less) as the most expensive movie ever made, to date. And here I thought Disney was cutting back on expenses due to the current economic recession?
I wonder if this information is correct. If so, then the sequel should be one hell of an extravaganza with that kind of budget!
Here's the relevant portion of the story, for those that might have trouble finding it.
Vancouver post-production units are salivating at the prospects presented by the Disney remake of TRON, which carries a whopping $300 million budget and opportunities aplenty for effects and digital polish.
The 1982 version of the film starring Jeff Bridges blazed new trails in computer graphics and you can bet TRON 2.0 will push much further down the pixel path.
Garrett Hedlund (Eragon, Troy) and Olivia Wilde (House, The OC) have been cast in lead roles. Bridges is also reportedly appearing in the new film along with original Tron alumnus Bruce Boxleitner.
Disney has set up offices in town and shooting should get underway this spring.
- Randy Shore, The Vancouver Sun
Thanks to annemiek for the tip.
UPDATE 42: According to a story on io9, Disney will not be presenting anything about the TRON sequel at the current (as of February, 2009) New York Comicon. Instead, director Joseph Kosinski will be showing new footage at the 2009 San Diego Comicon.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to report some unconfirmed details about the filming location and shooting dates for the sequel.
- Filming for the TRON sequel is said to be taking place at Canadian Motion Picture Park studios (CMPP).
- Shooting is set to take place from April 6th, 2009 until July 10th, 2009.
- The film has a production code of TRN2. Let's hope that's all it is — a production code. We've had enough permutations of the film's title, already.
UPDATE 43: According to an article on Jim Hill Media (scroll to the very bottom), if the TRON sequel is a success: Disney Imagineers are prepared to create a new Light Cycle attraction that will replace the now-closed Peoplemover ride at Disneyland in California.
There were plans for a TRON attraction back in 1982, at the time of the release for the original film. But because TRON wasn't as big a success as Disney had hoped, those plans were shelved. Now, these plans may finally come true.
UPDATE 44: It's been revealed that artist Daniel Simon will be designing the Light Cycles for the TRON sequel, according to a report on io9.
The situation is beginning to look like none of the previous concept artists, who worked on the original TRON film, will be participating in production of the sequel. No Syd Mead, no Moebius, no Andy Probert, or any of the others. Kind of a shame. But Simon's designs seem pretty much in line with what you'd expect to see in TRON.
For examples of his previous work, you can visit his personal web site and explore the extensive galleries.
And according to Moviehole.net, filming for the sequel ends on July 15th, 2009 rather than the earlier reported date of July 10th. But the starting date remains the same. So, in other words, the shooting schedule has been extended by one week.
Thanks to annemiek for the tip about the changed date.
UPDATE 45: An apparent Disney casting call is stating that the title of the TRON sequel has possibly changed to TRON 2.0: The Grid.
Don't know if I particularly care for that title, and frankly I'm not even sure I believe this latest change is true or will stick. But what I find interesting — or more accurately, amusing — is that players of the TRON 2.0 game often say "I'll meet you on the grid" when they want to play the game online together.
Before anybody comments, I know that "the grid" was mentioned frequently in the original film, too. It's just that TRON 2.0 and "the grid" are quoted together so often, on the fan sites. It's an interesting . . . coincidence.
Thanks to TRON.dll for the tip!
UPDATE 46: Ain't-it-Cool News has what could be major spoilers about the storyline for the TRON sequel!
If you don't want to be spoiled, then stop reading now!
The title will almost certainly NOT be TRON 2 or TR2N. Possibly something hyphenated TRON: ________.
The story takes place approximately 25 years after the original.
The movie starts in 1989. Kevin Flynn (Bridges) has created some of the world's top selling games based on his Game Grid challenges in the first film, and has marketed the hell out of what he saw there (action figures, Recognizer night lights, yadda yadda yadda).
Flynn has a seven year old son named Sean.
Flynn disappears, leaving behind his son.
Alan Bradley (Boxleitner) takes over Flynn's company (ENCOM).
Jump forward in time: Sean is now twenty something.
Alan Bradley has info that leads Sean to look for Flynn.
Search takes Sean to Flynn's old arcade - mothballed.
Into the computer world goes Sean.
There's a CLU character (Flynn's computer alter-ego from the first film).
Flynn has programmed CLU to run around and make a better computer world, but CLU's gone corrupt and is creating his own interpretation of that perfect world. This is why CLU (young Bridges) is being such a punk-ass in that Comic Con footage we saw.
CLU has it out for a kind of program called ISOs & wants to eradicate them.
The ISOs believe Sean Flynn is the one who will free them from CLU's belligerence.
Somewhere in the computer world, the real Kevin Flynn is whizzing around in a classic Light Cycle. Will he help in the battle against CLU?
Light Jets have jet walls, too.
Light Cycles versus Light Jets.
Big Disc battle!
Bridges going all out for this role. Embracing it. Fans will go gaa gaa.
- Anonymous source, Ain't-it-Cool News
If true, these details and the storyline sound very good. First, this news corroborates with the previous update that the title may be TRON 2.0: The Grid, or similar. Second, this storyline would confirm my earlier speculation that CLU is the "corrupt cyber-entity", and Flynn is going to have to right his wrong.
And Flynn whizzing around in a Classic Light Cycle? How cool is that? :)
The storyline would also be very similar to the one in the TRON 2.0 game, save for the substitution of the character Jet Bradley (Alan Bradley's son) with Sean Flynn. It looks like Garrett Hedlund will be playing the role of Sean.
Thanks to achilles for the tip!
UPDATE 47: An article on the site Upcoming Film Scores claims that Daft Punk will be composing the soundtrack to the TRON sequel.
I'm really not sure what to think of that. On the one hand, I do like Daft Punk and I can sort of see why they'd make a good choice. But on the other hand, I'm unsure if they're a good fit. Would their style of music really mesh well with a TRON film? Personally — if director Joseph Kosinski was looking for an electronica band to do the soundtrack — I think Kraftwerk would've been a better fit.
Though, if Daft Punk did the music in the TR2N trailer from the San Diego Comicon last year, the theme in that trailer was quite nice . . .
Thanks to TechFalcon for the tip!
UPDATE 48: After a long dry spell, there's finally some news to report again.
Among other sites, io9 reports that Serinda Swan is saying that she — along with Beau Garrett and two other actresses (one of them being Olivia Wilde) — is playing one of the "temptresses from inside the computer world." She also mentions that: "We're sort of the main guy's go-to girls. There are lights actually sewn into our wardrobe, so it's like nothing you've seen before!"
There are two important facts that can be drawn from these statements.
One, is that for the sequel they have actually embedded lights in the costumes. So that complex special effects to make the characters appear as if they are glowing, won't always be necessary this time around. The improvements in lighting technology (with implementations such as LED or OLED, or electroluminescent wire) since the first TRON film was released in 1982, has made this possible. The old backlight compositing technique used in the first film is completely unnecessary now.
The other, is that there are now four actresses playing female programs in the electronic world. Serinda Swan, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, and . . . who else? Could Cindy Morgan be returning in the TRON sequel, after all?
I tend to agree with the io9 article, about how this latest news sounds like they're trying to add perhaps a little too much sex appeal to the sequel. It's not unwelcome, but it does seem to be trying a bit too hard and going a little overboard.
Also making the rounds is a video of the San Diego Comicon 2008 TRON sequel teaser, with different background music that is perfectly timed to the action. Some people are putting forth the notion that perhaps this music is a newly composed demo by Daft Punk themselves. But until I can find out more, I'm going to conclude that the new music accompanying the teaser is fan made.
For the sake of comparison, below is the teaser with the music that was actually presented at the 2008 San Diego Comicon. I, personally, think that music is far better. The unknown music in the other video sounds very bland.
Click here to see the teaserThanks to deadly_cookie and TRON.dll for the tips! Thanks also go out to TheReelTodd, for the TR2N logo. :)
UPDATE 49: As I write this, April Fool's day 2009 is upon us. But even though I'm posting this update today: all this news is real.
First up, a listing on the IMDB TRON sequel page has revealed that the company Quantum Creation FX has been assigned to the "specialty costumes and practical lighting effects" in the film. In other words, they are responsible for the costumes now featuring built-in glowing lights, as mentioned in the previous update. They might be responsible for other practical effects, as well.
And as is being reported by many sources today, Disney showed the same 2008 San Diego Comicon trailer again on March 31st at ShoWest. But this time, they presented it in 3-D. Damn, wish I could've been there.
Out of all the articles discussing the news, the ones at Collider.com and Ain't-it-Cool News had the most to say. I noted that both articles mention how Walt Disney Pictures Group President Mark Zoradi is quoted as saying that Disney was "excited" about the sequel now, and that "the studio finally realizes what Tron means" to the fans. Yeah, about bloody time too! It's only taken 27 years since the first film for you to realize that! ;)
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar and Jademz for the tip about Quantum Creation FX.
UPDATE 50: While there isn't any official confirmation, reports that the TRON sequel has begun filming are starting to appear across the internet. Apparently, a stunt scene involving a motorcycle chase in the real world was one of the first scenes filmed.
Now, for a subject I wasn't planning to bring up again. At ShoWest, Disney was reported as stating that the sequel is currently simply being referred to as TRON. As I've mentioned before: the name games Disney is playing with the sequel is likely the idea of some marketing "genius", to keep the film in the news and on everyone's lips.
What better way to keep the sequel in the thoughts of the public at large, than to keep them guessing as to what to even call the film? That way, every time Disney changes the name they get more free publicity. Personally, I think the whole idea is beyond a joke at this point. They're simply embarrassing themselves now. Just call it TR2N, TRON 2.0, or TRON 2, and be done with it already.
Anyway, what made me bring this up again is that over at SlashFilm, their representative at ShoWest revealed that the TRON font/logo for the sequel has changed from the original. He drew a replica to the best of his ability, which is shown on the right.As someone noted in the comments: the T and the R could be interpreted as showing a program riding a Light Cycle, with the O representing the rear wheel. And the N could possibly double for a "2" turned 90 degrees on to its side.
Thanks to maxiekat for the tip about the filming reports.
UPDATE 51: I noticed that SlashFilm has re-drawn their facsimile of the TRON sequel logo, probably in an attempt to be more accurate to what was seen at ShoWest. The newly drawn logo is below, and the old version can be seen in the previous update.
I have to say, that I'm not a fan of the new font/logo. What's wrong with the original designed by Syd Mead, from the first film? It looked great. It just works. No need to change it. Merely stick a "2" on it somewhere, and you're done.I'm not against a certain amount of change in the sequel. But there are things that can be changed, and things that should be left alone because they're iconic. The TRON font/logo is one of them.
UPDATE 52: SlashFilm comes through again with more morsels, including discussion about the filming of the TRON sequel and the very first set photo from the film in Vancouver, Canada.
Do I spy a new shorthand version of the Encom logo in the photo? Shrunk down from the full length version, it kind of reminds me of the Intel Inside logo a little bit. The full size Encom logo can also be seen, if you look very carefully. It's on the left side of the building. At first glance, the logo looks like light reflecting off the left wall from that red light source. But if you scrutinize the "reflection" carefully, it's actually the full Encom logo.
Click here for a larger view of the pictureThey have been spending some crazy money here. They have been blocking off huge main sections of downtown for some pretty awesome looking action scenes. I saw tons of police cars chasing a guy hanging on to the top of a taxi. There were huge cranes holding up a stunt wire rig rig like I have never seen before. There is defintly some impressive non light cycle real life action in this movie. They have also transformed the tallest building in the city with huge encom logos and futuristic lighting. I was in total awe of how much equipment and gadgets they had. Everything I’ve seen them doing in the last five days is easily some of the most expensive stuff I’ve ever seen. It’s probably is $300 million, even if it’s canadian dollars. I only managed to grab this crappy still with the big logo and some futuristic room above.Thanks to TechFalcon for spotting the full size Encom logo.
- Contribution from site reader, SlashFilm
UPDATE 53: SlashFilm has what it claims is a photo of an extra from the TRON sequel, off-set but still in his TRON costume, as can be seen on the right. Whee, how exciting. It's obviously a slow news day. But if the idea of seeing someone wearing spandex with his back turned while stuffing his face excites you, there it is.What's much more interesting, is that it's been revealed that the Encom building is apparently supposed to be set in New York city in the film. And according to an unsubstantiated rumor, Garrett Hedlund is only now arriving to begin filming his scenes as his character Sean Flynn, Kevin Flynn's son. Up until this point, it looks like filming may have only been what's known as second unit photography, with the less important scenes and stunt shots being done first to get them out of the way.
Thanks to TechFalcon and maxiekat for the tips!
UPDATE 54: SlashFilm continues to deliver the goods. They've just obtained a couple more shots from on the set: one featuring director of photography Claudio Miranda at work, the other a female extra dressed in her TRON program costume. Unfortunately, though, she's wrapped in a blanket covering up most of her costume so that we can't really see much. Apparently, the filming was taking place in the downtown area of Vancouver known as Gastown.
I found alternative versions of the photos in the article, including one that features the same female extra, but the image isn't cropped down.
At the request of someone working on the film, a portion of this update has been removed. It wasn't terribly exciting or important information, anyway, concerning additional technical details of the 3-D cameras being used.
In addition, it's reported that the budget is not $300 million, after all. There's been confusion about whether this figure is true or not, and whether the quoted amount was in U.S. or Canadian dollars. Apparently, it's neither and the budget is lower than that. But it wouldn't surprise me if the film still clocks in at somewhere close to the $200 million mark.
Now, on to something that concerns me a bit. This is the second time we've seen someone in a TRON costume on an outdoor set.
The first time may have just been the guy on break. He was standing in front of a food services cart. But why is this girl on the set outdoors in a TRON program costume? Did she just stop by to have a chat with Claudio Miranda? Or was she in a scene on that outdoor location?
Something that sets off warning bells is that I know the plot of the cancelled TRON 3.0 game (what would have been a quick followup to the TRON 2.0 game) involved the electronic world and the real world crossing over . . . programs coming into our world.
UPDATE 55: Some more photos from the set of the TRON sequel have been discovered, taken by a tourist on April 6th which was the first day of shooting.
Is that Garrett Hedlund wearing the parachute harness? (Unconfirmed rumor states that he was spotted in the departures area at the Vancouver airport, on or about April 11th.) Then again, it might not be Garrett and just someone that looks similar to him. The film crew might not be allowing him to do his own stunts. But if it was a short drop, then maybe they'd let him do it? At any rate, it kind of looks like Garrett to me, who is playing the role of Kevin Flynn's son: Sean Flynn.
UPDATE 56: Two quick tidbits of info I've recently discovered, by perusing the official sites of Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges. One of them is a potential spoiler, so you may not want to read the rest of this update!
- According to a recent update on Jeff Bridges' site, he's currently in Canada shooting for the sequel.
- A brief note about the plot of the sequel on Bruce Boxleitner's site states: "A virtual-world worker looks to take down the Master Control Program". The page also mentions that he's reprising the role of Alan Bradley, but makes no mention of his playing TRON. That might just mean he'll be playing Alan, only.
UPDATE 57: According to Karl Urban, in an interview he did with the site PC Authority, the rumors concerning him appearing in the TRON sequel are false.
Dan Long: There are rumours of you doing Tron 2.0 floating around online. Any truth to those?Thanks to 19nov for the tip.
Karl Urban: Those are not true, not true.
- Karl Urban Interview, PC Authority
UPDATE 58: Over at io9, they had a word or two with Jay Maynard — better known as TRON Guy — about the sequel. They ask his thoughts and opinions on what the sequel may be like, and Jay reveals that, so far, he has not been asked to appear in a cameo role in the film.
UPDATE 59: Ain't-it-Cool News has a new photo from on the set of the sequel, along with a description of what's supposed to be happening in the scene.Encom returns! Grumpy Gus informs us that this is, apparently, a flashback scene taking place in 1989, that involves a media swarm and a large crowd as someone rushes into a limo. Grumpy Gus isn't completely positive, but he thinks it might have been Bruce Boxleitner.And over at Collider.com, they're reporting the title of the sequel may have changed yet again back to TR2N. I don't know why I'm reporting this any more. The title has changed more times than I can count, and is bound to change again. This reeks of a marketing stunt, like I've said before.
He also says there were extras wearing "Flynn Lives" t-shirts!
- Quint, Ain't-It-Cool News
I've also just discovered that the May 2009 issue of Empire magazine will have an article about the sequel. A preview of the May issue's cover can be seen on the right. Not sure what to make of the "TRON Rebooted" quip in the corner, yet.Thanks to maxiekat for the tip about Empire!
UPDATE 60: I've managed to get a sneak peek at the upcoming Empire article, mentioned in the previous update. I won't post any images or quote the article wholesale, because Empire would likely not be too happy about that.
What I will say, is that the first two pages of the article have a retrospective about the first film, meant for newcomers to TRON. There is only one significant quote in the portion of the article I was able to read, about the sequel.
The glowing tracks and lightcycles that defined the 80s and revolutionized computer generated images in film are back, and this time it's a meaner and moodier reboot.The film is still a sequel. But the article is trying to say that it's more "mature" than the first film, I think.
And over at Coming Attractions, they have a little more detail about what's supposed to be going on, in the scene occurring in the photo in the previous update.
Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for the tip about Coming Attractions!
UPDATE 61: A rumor is beginning to circulate, that actor Michael Sheen has joined the cast of the TRON sequel to play a villain.If true, I wonder if he's been cast as a replacement for David Warner, to play Dillinger or Sark. Although the character of Dillinger would be quite old by now, Sheen could be made up to look older than he is.
There's also another unconfirmed rumor out there, claiming that Disney has decided to move up the release of the sequel from 2011 to 2010. Thanks to maxiekat for the tip on this one.
I also have it on good authority that the female "extra" in the program costume in a previous update is, in fact, Olivia Wilde. This lends credence to the speculation that programs are crossing over from the electronic world to the real one.
UPDATE 62: According to an article on the National Ledger (scroll to the bottom) and elsewhere, actor James Frain has joined the cast of the TRON sequel.Thanks to maxiekat for the tip!
UPDATE 63: Although reports from the 2009 San Diego Comicon in July, will probably be our first chance to see new glimpses of the TRON sequel, Disney's D23 Expo will also be presenting a preview of the film.
The expo will be taking place from September 10th-13th, 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can find prices and book tickets here, if interested.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures joins in the fun and excitement of D23's premiere event with special sneak previews and exclusive presentations for such eagerly anticipated upcoming live-action films as Disney's A Christmas Carol (from visionary filmmaker Robert Zemeckis and starring Jim Carrey in seven different roles), Old Dogs (with Robin Williams and John Travolta), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and introducing Mia Wasikowska) and Disney's state-of-the-art re-imagining of the cult classic TRON.I'm not sure what to make of the phrase "re-imagining" being used to describe the sequel. It's become a tired cliché, though.
Thanks to Jademz for the tip.
UPDATE 64: Over at collider.com, they state that it's almost certain we'll be shown a new TRON sequel trailer, at the 2009 San Diego Comicon taking place between July 23rd and 26th. I was a bit concerned that Disney may hold back sequel news and save it for their D23 Expo in September (mentioned in the previous update), but it looks like they might not do that after all.
Meanwhile, radio station Classic Rock 101 in Vancouver just posted a couple of videos from their recent interview with Jeff Bridges. Click here to watch Part 1 and Part 2. Each part is about an hour long. I'll save you from watching the videos by stating that Jeff spoke very little about the sequel.
At about the 13:08 mark in Part 1, Jeff mentions that filming will wrap in the middle of July. Which we already pretty much knew. He also explains how the drawing he made (shown on the right) was inspired by the Cardboard TRON fan video.At roughly the 53:49 mark in Part 2, Jeff talks about how the process of making the sequel has changed so much from the original TRON. How, despite the fact that he was attracted to making the original because of how futuristic it seemed for its time, the advances between then and now are incredible.
Thanks to maxiekat for the tip about the Jeff Bridges interview!
UPDATE 65: The site CC2K has posted an article discussing what is claimed to be the details of an early draft of the script to the TRON sequel. Needless to say, this deserves a great big SPOILER WARNING, and you may not want to read it.
However, I can state with reasonable certainty that this early draft by Richard Jeffries will likely end up having little resemblance to the finished product. It's been said that this draft was not met with enthusiasm or approval from the powers-that-be and was, for the most part, scrapped in favor of completely starting over.
Also, if this script was anywhere near close to the real final script: Disney's lawyers would have swooped in and issued a cease and desist order to the site, awfully quick.
Thanks to aldul for the news!
UPDATE 66: Although not the most reliable source of information, IMDB is listing Amy Esterle as having joined the cast of the TRON sequel. Her role is listed as "Young Mrs. Flynn". No doubt meaning that she'll be appearing in a flashback as Kevin Flynn's wife, and leading protagonist Sean Flynn's mother.Thanks to Jademz for the tip.
UPDATE 67: Disney has sent out a press release, detailing their scheduled panels at the upcoming 2009 San Diego Comicon. The following are the important sections relating to the TRON sequel.
COMIC-CON’S FIRST EVER 3D PANEL — Veteran directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton join TRON producers Sean Bailey and Steve Lisberger on Thurs., July 23 at 11 a.m. for an unprecedented presentation featuring behind-the-scenes filmmaker insights about the highly anticipated 3D adventures DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and TRON. In addition to Q&A opportunities with each of the filmmakers, the 90-minute panel will feature never-before-seen concept art, trailers, actual 3D film footage and other Comic-Con-only footage debuts. In a groundbreaking technical feat, this is the first time ever that 3D footage will be shown at Comic-Con. Patton Oswalt will moderate.
TRON (title not final) (In Disney Digital 3D™)There are a lot of things to take away from these excerpts.
TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.
First, and most importantly, this confirms that a new trailer for the sequel will be shown at Comicon on July 23rd on or about 11:00 AM. Steven Lisberger, director and writer on the original TRON film, will also be present. And, somewhat surprisingly, the new TRON footage will be shown in 3-D. I wasn't sure if the footage would be presented in 3-D, due to additional complexity and cost in setting up such an event. But hearing that the new trailer will debut in 3-D is marvellous to hear. (Just too bad I won't be there to see it . . .)
The press release also contains some more small details about the plot of the sequel. It's more or less the same as what we already knew, if you've been following the rumors and updates. Kevin Flynn digitized himself into the electronic world a long time ago, and his son then follows him in and joins in his adventures inside the computer. The only new item that stands out, is that Flynn's son is now suddenly being referred to as Sam instead of Sean. (Personally, I preferred Sean.) A deliberate change, or a mistake in the press release?
I see that the title of the film is still referred to as "not final". And that's as much time as I'm going to devote to discussing it. I got sick of the name changing game a long time ago.
Thanks to Qix77 for the news!
UPDATE 68:
IMDB has listed another new addition to the cast of the TRON sequel. Brandon Jay McLaren will apparently be playing Sean Flynn's (or is it Sam now?) real world best friend, named Sobel.Thanks to Mr. Sinistar for the tip.
Also, while I was looking at the updated listing on IMDB, I noticed a new entry in the special effects credit section that piqued my interest.
Rowsby - Digital effects artist: CG Hair Styling
It would appear that the programs in the electronic world are going to show their hair this time around, instead of hiding it under helmets. And not only that, this may even mean the possibility of some really bizarre, out-there hair styles being created. Since anything is possible in the computer realm.
UPDATE 69: As I write this — the day before the second TRON sequel trailer is rumored to debut at the 2009 San Diego Comicon (July 23rd, 2009) — I've decided to round up various odds and ends: bits of news that I've come across but have yet to mention. To get them out of the way, due to the forthcoming flood of new information.
To the right, is another picture of the entrance to Encom building, that I found. This time, it gives us a view inside the building to see what it looks like. Whether the actual interior of the building will be seen in the film or not, is anyone's guess at this point.
As mentioned in a previous update, a scene was filmed at this location where Alan Bradley and Kevin Flynn were supposed to have exited the building, and been greeted by press and fans. This scene was to have taken place in the year 1989. Apparently, Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges were not there when this scene was shot. This would mean that actor doubles were used, whose faces will be replaced with de-aged CGI versions of Bruce's and Jeff's faces.- The building used as the entrance is known as the Qube building, in Vancouver, Canada where filming for the sequel took place. While the Qube serves as the entrance to the Encom building, another location serves as the exterior view of the whole Encom building, as seen on the right and in a previous update.
- Like the possibility of unusual CGI hair styles mentioned in the previous update, the actors will also apparently be wearing "wicked makeup" to make them look exotic and as if they came from the electronic world. I'm sure that the makeup might even be used as a reference for CGI artists to work from, where they could place CGI overlaid on top of the makeup.
- The most recent rumor concerning the budget of the film, is that it comes in at $200 million USD. Not as high as the previously rumored $300 million USD, which would have made it one of the most expensive movies to date. But still quite high.
- There are conflicting rumors about whether filming finished on schedule, or if it went past the alloted time. One source says it completed on time. Another says filming wrapped last week, apparently on Monday July 13th, 2009. But it could have gone as late as Friday July 17th. Filming was originally supposed to have ended around July 10th, so if the first source is correct then shooting was completed on time. Otherwise the production ran a bit late, and an extended shooting schedule was required.
Apparently, part of the reason for the extended shoot was due to the difficulty the actors had getting in and out of the "program" costumes meant for characters inside the electronic world. Someone is quoted as saying "Filming is falling a bit behind schedule, partly due to it taking actors three hours to get into costume and two hours to get out."
Due to the information about the difficulty with the costumes, I'm going to believe that filming was extended and the shoot didn't complete on time. - A video game based on the sequel is already under development, apparently being done by Propaganda Games (aka Disney Interactive). A person who saw the Light Cycle racing on the PS3 version of the game said "New Tron lightcycle races are awesome... the PS3 game is shaping up real nice". The game won't only be for the PS3, of course. For my take on what you can expect from the game, see this article.
These updates are a mixture of my own findings, and tips from various fans. Thanks to Mr. Sinistar, Maxiekat, Plumpien, Babineau, SunnySammyBoy, and Doc-Fan for sharing their information.
This article is no longer being updated. For further updates, please visit this newer article.
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