TRON 3 - Begins Production This Fall
Despite the increased focus and production from Disney movie divisions including Pixar, which has two films opening in theaters this year; Marvel Studios, which is aiming for 2-3 big budget blockbusters per year; and Lucasfilm, which is relaunching Star Wars with annualized releases, that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten about protecting the user.
That’s right. Disney is making good on their promise to take moviegoers back to the Grid with TRON 3 and reportedly aims to begin production on the TRON: Legacy followup this fall, returning to Vancouver, Canada, to shoot.
The local scoop comes from Vancity Buzz who have it from insiders claiming that principal photography begins on TRON 3 on October 5, 2015. The only additional detail they have is that Garrett Hedlund is currently the only star confirmed to return.
Given how Legacy concludes however, it’s a safe bet Olivia Wilde and Bruce Boxleitner - who both spoke about returning previously - will return as well. We’d be shocked if director Joseph Kosinski, who spearheaded the bringing back of TRON in the first place, doesn’t find a way to have Jeff Bridges return as well as grid creator Kevin Flynn.
While this is the first update in a while about an actual, legitimate start date for TRON 3, Kosinski has – over the years – continually teased details and potential release dates. He even has a title already. He claims TRON 3 is the “Empire Strikes Back” of the series, so expect a darker, less happy ending, to setup another followup one day.
Kosinksi initially expected the TRON: Legacy followup to hit theaters in 2015-16 so the earliest we could see TRON 3 in theaters would be late 2016 (Legacy released with a December date in 2010), assuming the studios can get the heavy load post-production work done in a year. This time around, they at least have the principal assets of their recreation of the digital world of the Grid and its vehicles ready to go, alongside a shooting style that works for 3D. It was only a matter of time before Disney got around to greenlighting the three-quel.
The TRON brand is an important one that lends itself well to merchandising and trans-media promotions. Legacy not only banked $400 million worldwide and offered a unique, event-like visual spectacle – which Hollywood is clamoring for to fill seats – but it had a wide range of tie-in merchandise, video games, comics and an animated series (TRON: Uprising).