‘Tron 3’ Back in Development
By George Robbins
The ‘TRON‘ franchise is not one that is thought of very often because it only ever had a couple of films release and it hasn’t gone anywhere since 2010. Nonetheless, ‘TRON’ as a whole has been cemented in history as a film that cannot and will not be forgotten, no matter how hard people try. The original film was relatively ahead of its time and the 2010 sequel made itself a box office success solely off of its visual style. The storytelling of the movies wasn’t what made them so popular, as instead, they became popular due to the visuals that people saw on the big screen. The two films are something that will remain in history, but newer generations may forget about them, so then, it seems we will get another one after all.
In the original ‘TRON’ film, Jeff Bridges plays the role of computer programmer Kevin Flynn as he is transported into a computer mainframe. What follows is an adventure through a world imagined in a way that would make some kind of sense given the fact he is in a simulation of a computer mainframe. The thing that stood out at the time was the fact that programs within the realm of the computer were portrayed as sentient beings that could develop independent thought over time. This on its own has always remained an interesting concept because it means that a living being having contact with a program can result in them becoming artificial intelligence that can change the world. An interesting thought to be sure, but not really what was intended with the making of the movie.
The follow-up sequel did not come into existence until almost 30 years later in 2010 when ‘Tron: Legacy’ released to theaters. The movie saw the disappearance of Kevin Flynn from the world as a whole for 20 years and his son, Sam Flynn, finds a way of looking for him. By going into a special mainframe created by his father he discovers the same type of world that his father once discovered on his journey so many years earlier. The movie itself has a mixed reception because the story wasn’t all that great, but the incredible visuals brought people to the theaters to see the movie. This is what ended up making the film a box office success. Unfortunately, another movie would not come to pass and plans for one were scrapped after a few years.
According to actor Garrett Hedlund, who played Sam Flynn, plans for a sequel to ‘Tron: Legacy’ were scrapped in 2015 after the box office bomb that was ‘Tomorrowland.’ Recently, Disney executive Mitchell Lieb revealed that ‘TRON 3’ is now officially back in development after these past 10 years. He also stated that the star who is set to appear in the film in the leading role in Jared Leto and that the film itself was actually a sequel and not a reboot like some thought it would be. So it seems it is only a matter of time before we end up with another film to add to the ‘TRON’ franchise and it may breath some life back into something that may soon be forgotten by the newest generations.