Extra, Extra!: Tron 3 Officially on Its Way to a Theater Near You

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

There's really no hiding the fact that I'm a big Tron fan.  Despite its dodgy special effects, the original 1982 film holds up remarkably well today.  And despite the lukewarm reception that critics gave the sequel, it honestly held its own remarkably well with far younger and better known franchises.  In the same year as Toy Story 3, Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland, Eclipse, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Inception, Despicable Me, Shrek Forever After, How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled, Tron Legacy finished in twelfth place at the box office.

And it's really should come as no surprise why it did so well.  The original film's premise - of being transported into a three-dimensional world within the programming of a computer - came at a time where home computers were entirely unheard of and the mechanics of such devices (and the clever in-jokes and references that pervaded the film) were largely lost on audiences at the time.  It was even dismissed for special effects consideration at the Academy Awards because the voting body thought that they had "cheated by using computers."

Today, however, it's a stretch to find a person, let alone a household, who doesn't own a computer, tablet or smart phone.  Computers are an integral part of our daily lives, and Tron was waiting in the wing to capitalize on that cultural phenomenon.

Beyond simply being popular, Tron Legacy was actually good.  It traced that fine line between referential to the original without being derivative of it: of being something decidedly modern while still having the original's retro vibe.  It didn't shy away from the religious subtext of the first film, nor from its incessant corniness.  It knew exactly what it wanted to be and the public responded remarkably well to it.

It should really come as no surprise, then, that Disney has announced that a third installment is currently in the works for the Tron franchise.  Although details are scarce at the moment, we do know that Tron Legacy's director - Joseph Kosinski - will be returning to helm the new film and that principle photography is currently scheduled to begin in the beginning of October, implicitly for a 2016 release date.

Both Garret Hedlund (Sam Flynn) and Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Bradley / Tron) are scheduled to return in their respective roles.  The only question mark in the cast is if Olivia Wilde will return has Quorra: the manifested program who Sam brought into the "real" world at the end of Legacy.  I would also be interested to see if we are going to get a next-gen Clu as the villain - reprised by the singular Jeff Bridges - or if the series is heading in a new direction entirely.

Regardless of how they decide to proceed with it, I am stoked about revisiting the world of Tron and exploring the possibilities that the setting has to offer.  I will be sure to keep you updated on new information as it becomes available.

So what are your thoughts on Disney's plans to start filming Tron 3?  Share your thoughts on the matter in the comment section below.

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