Three Directions...

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It seems that "Tron 3" news is dramatically increasing...

Just last week we learned the Mouse had hired a new screenwriter to move the project forward.  Then Garrett Hedlund admitted he was coming back for another round (which he's contractually obligated to anyway).  Now comes a little more data from the Grid by the director himself, Joseph Kosinski thanks to Collider.

It seems he's keen on the idea they have for the sequel, but he's waiting to see how it translates in the script.

“There is certainly a chance, like I said; we’re writing the script now.  Sometimes with these things all the pieces fall into place.  I mean, we’ve been talking about this for years and we don’t have the script now, but sometimes things fall into place very quickly, and if everything lines up it could happen.  That’s all I can say, it’s too early.”

Of course, we'll have to wait till mid next year before we find out if that draft of the script will get the film greenlit.  Even if it does, it looks like a late 2014/early 2015 release is optimistic.  But it's not out of the question.  And Kosinski claiming that this film would have to have "Empire Strikes Back" tones only raises the stakes for what this film has to strive for.  But it's good to see things moving forward, and the wheels turning for the sequel to the 80's cult classic.

I just hope that the Cillian Murphy/Sark's son idea is really expanded...

DirecTRON...

Action...


From the Grid...

Over at Collider, they've got a really interesting interview with Joe Kosinski about "Tron Legacy" that you might want to read. Lots of stuff about Easter eggs, deleted scenes, compromises that had to be made and intentions for the Blu-Ray and possible thoughts about TR3N.

Give it a click...

The Talent Pool...

The Mouse has a lot of big named talent developing projects right now...

The verdict on Rich Ross is still out and it'll be a year or more before we start seeing the results of his taste, but I'm quite surprised and curious as to the people that he's attached to films in the Disney future. Examples? Just off my fading memory:

20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea - I would have never thought that David Fincher would adapt a family film classic like this with a script by screenwriter Scott Burns.

Oz the Great and Powerful - Sam Raimi is in line to direct this reinterpretation of the L. Frank Baum classic by Mitchell Kapner, that tells the story of how the Wizard became the Wizard. Currently, the script is being rewritten.

Oblivion - the graphic novel adaptation of Joseph Kosinski, Arvid Nelson and Andree Wallin is getting adapted by William Monahan as was announced last week.

The Black Hole - the re-envisioning of the cult Disney film, again by Joseph Kosinski, with Travis Beacham writing the new interpretation of the project.

The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made - the dream project of Jason Segel, who is writing and will co-star with the famous frog and friends. The name is not final, nor financially accurate, btw.

John Carter of Mars - the adaptation of the classic sci-fi film, directed by Andrew Stanton with a screenplay by Michael Chabon and Stanton.

Frankenweenie - the full feature envisioning of Tim Burton's short film made while working at Walt Disney Studios in the late 70's/early 80's. Instead of live action, it'll be a stop motion feature in line with "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Corpse Bride." Hopefully, it'll be closer to Nightmare than Bride.

Malificent - the look back at the Sleeping Beauty tale as told from the villainess' point of view. Tim Burton reteams with Linda Woolverton, the screenwriter from his "Alice in Wonderland" sequel. Rumors are that Angelina Jolie is the desired actress to play the part, but until a script is finished, consider these rumors to be just that... rumors.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - the fourth of the Pirates series featuring the further adventures of Captain Jack as he searches for the Fountain of Youth and dodges a flame from the past and her overly protective father (Blackbeard). Rob Marshall directs the film with a script by original screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott.

And the list keeps growing...

ElecTRONic Chatter...

It's amazing how times change your perception of things...

Take the film "Tron" for example. When it came out it was a huge disappointment to Walt Disney Productions. They expected this to be their new "Star Wars" and when it was released not that many went and saw it. Over time, the storyline has proven to be ahead of its time (not the script, mind you). And as the passage of years goes by it's gathered more and more followers to where it's now a cult hit. Over the past decade there has been talk of finally making a sequel, but most of it was rumors that never made it anywhere other that the whispers of fan boys in pop culture's hallway.

Then there was that concept trailer that Walt Disney Pictures snuck in as a surprise for Comic-Con attendees a couple years ago. The crowds reaction was the final element needed to get the Suits to pull the trigger on the sequel. Soon with the release of "Alice" an actual 3D teaser for the film can be seen for the first time. This is the one many people got to check out last week when they followed that viral campaign to several locations across the country. And come late summer you can expect an actual trailer with more of the journey into the world of Tron. It's evolved a lot in a generation and this holiday season we're finally going to get to see it. We're a long way from the disappointment of 1982.

It's taken twenty-eight years to change this. 2010 will be a huge year for the sequel to Tron. Huge. And should the box office returns provide what Disney Suits with smiling faces then you can expect a whole lot more over the coming years. On the theatrical front, this could be the beginning of a new trilogy. And I'm not talking about including the original Tron. If all goes according to plan you could see this as the first in a trilogy of films that start with the word "Tron" and end somewhere else... Legacy is only the beginning. There are preliminary plans to milk this into a franchise of "Pirate" proportions. And the buzz from it so far is very good.

And that's not the only Tron project they're planning on having for us in the possible future. The plans have been put into motion for a computer animated television series that could conceivably be up by late 2011/early 2012. This would be something of a placeholder to keep the fans interest still peaked in between this first film and the next one. No word yet on where it will wind up being broadcast. It's not known if it'll be staged for the Mouse's fledgling boy channel Disney XD or the more mainstream ABC network, but as of now the concept has been greenlit for a pilot. We'll see how this project evolves down the development line as the film's release gets closer.

Then there is the merchandise that you're going to see flood the parks come this October/November. Expect Tomorrowland to be filled with all things Tron. And some of the areas are being talked about getting "thematic" makeovers. If you're into Retro-Eighties with the Captain Eo attraction back for a limited run, then prepare for more, albeit fictional nostalgia. Should it get approved, you might get to see the arcade next to Space Mountain turned into a variation of "Flynn's Arcade." We'll cross our fingers and see if the Suits make the call on this one.

Naturally, there's the talk of a Tron attraction at Disneyland and various other theme parks. WDI is working on concepts for a Tron experience, but don't expect a fully immersive Tron Legacy attraction by the time the film opens. Any attraction wouldn't be seen in Tommowland until 2012 at the earliest... but that doesn't mean there won't be surprises between now and then.

I've been told that nothing has been signed off on for an E-Ticket, but Imagineers are working to create an impressive addition to the already talked about elaborate expansion of Disneyland for the sixtieth anniversary. While my Bothans were spare with the details since they are in the embryonic phase, they none-the-less said that the concepts are pure, Disney spectacle and absolute techno-geek magic. There are many things that are being planned in this blue sky phase, but remember that it's early. Just like the Tron universe, these designs/plans are likely to evolve.

Box office results will factor into this so remember that mileage may vary depending on what the final tally is. Either way, the word for Disney's future is out there.

And it's spelled T-R-O-N...

Tron 2 De-Rezzed...

Well last night what arrived on my doorstop would surprise some of you...

Actually, this time it didn't arrive in a nonedescript manila envelope like other secret packages most of the time here at Blue Sky Headquarters. Instead it came as a digital document. Appropriate for a copy of the "Tron Legacy" script, yes?

That's right, the Tron sequel script. Actually, I think it's an early draft of it, as there is only one writer listed on it, Richard Jefferies. Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis' fingerprints are nowhere to be found on this draft. I was thinking of reading it, but I decided I wanted to go into the film fresh with no preconceived notions of what I was going to be seeing. I asked a friend that is a huge Tron-Geek if he'd like to review the script for me. Nada. It appears that he doesn't want to know too much before the actual film comes out in December... I don't blame him. So then I turned to another friend whom I'll call "Tron Unit" to review it. Thankfully, he said yes. He finished it very quickly and then asked if I still wanted his opinions because he could tell that this was an earlier version of the script and not the final one. Yes, I said. I thought that it would give fans the ability to see where they were going in the earlier draft of the script. The differences can be pointed out after you leave the theater this holiday. And with that, here is his review of the Jefferies draft of "Tron Legacy" for your digestion:

I will preface by saying that the following review is from what appears to be an early draft written by Richard Jefferies so I've no idea how much of his material will find its way into the finished film and therefore may contain spoilers so read at your own risk.

Imagine my surprise when I received an electronic document from Honor Hunter containing a script entitled "TRON 2.0 (aka TR2N)" with the condition that I write a review for Bluesky Disney. How could I refuse? To be honest, I had my reservations. I love the original Tron and having read the script to Star Wars: Episode I months before it was released and having 16 years of anticipation unexpectedly "derezzed" by the time I had reached page 11, I was convinced that the person who gave me the script had punked me with a fake script. Alas, it was the genuine article and all my hopes were crushed in one swift stroke. So I carefully pondered whether or not to potentially spoil any expectations I have prior to Tron Legacy's December 17 release. I was so impressed by the teaser trailer which poised some very interesting ideas and questions and I was blown away by the visual effects and the artistic design that has appropriately evolved to bring Tron into the 21st century. Needless to say I was more than a little curious to find out why Flynn appears in the trailer to simultaneously co-exist between the electronic and the real world.

Richard Jefferies' script begins with an intruder attempting to break into Encom's hacker-proof security firewall called X-Net. We discover that the program that has hacked it is Tron who has successfully eluded detection because his programming is so low-res and obsolete that the system doesn't see him to pose any real threat. Tron disrupts the system by causing an overload and is detected by X-Net who responds with intrusional counter-measures known as X-Takks. Tron successfully eludes them and crashes the system but meanwhile, back in the real world, Rush Nortebi, the security system's programmer for Encom is frantic that his perfect security system has been compromised.

Encom's CEO Gordon Sinclair has been preparing the media for the corporate launch of Encom's X-Net which guarantee's 100% security protection for any system. When news of the security breach reaches him he tells Rush and his team to find the intruder before product launch or it will turn into a public relations disaster for the company. So Rush along with an advanced projects expert named Megan Randall access the lab of Kevin Flynn who was presumed killed in a laboratory accident some years before. Meg back-engineered Flynn's Quantum Digitizer that breaks down physical matter and digitizes them into binary bits of data. Rumor has it that Flynn survived and was sucked into the computer during the accident. Sinclair and Meg decide to use the Quantum Digitizer to send Rush into the system to find the intruder. As they prepare to send him in, there is another system's breach and the machine loses stability and overloads just as Rush is digitized.

Inside the system Rush is mistaken as the intruder by X-Net intelligence program Mega, the counterpart of real-world Megan who detains him and takes Rush to the Central Control Server to be questioned by Plexor, X-Net's CPU and dopplegangert of real-world Sinclair. Rush tells Plexor that he has identified the intruder as Tron and tries to convince him and Mega that he is a User which they dismiss but believe he can help them locate and destroy Tron. To help them they are joined by another program named Krod, another called I-Beem and a gargantuan King Kong-like formatting program called D-Rezz who hurls a massive Romball that smashes data and derezzes it. They go to the ancient Game Grid sector where they intend to lay a trap for Tron who just can't resist a good grudge match.

Krod pulls out a light wand and rezzes up his light cycle. Rush dose the same and Mega climbs on. They head for the Game Grid. I-Beem and D-Rezz overlook the horizon of the grid along the rocky boundary as they prepare to lay an ambush for Tron. It isn't long before Tron is racing towards them across the grid on an intercept vector. They rally as Rush and Krod try to lure Tron into the awaiting ambush but Mega unexpectedly grabs the handlebars and veers off course. They jump from the bike before it smashes into the walls. Tron suspects something is wrong and sees D-Rezz hurtling his Romball that clips the the rear wheel of Tron's light cycle and it derezzes. Tron escapes into a tunnel and they pursue him into a maze of exposed memory leaks that derez anything that touches them. Tron hurls over the memory leaks and gains ground to throw his disc at D-Rezz but it is ineffective against the colossal program. D-Rezz hurls his Romball but is knocked away by Tron's disc and it falls into a memory leak and derezzes. Tron moves in for the killshot but Rush blocks him. Tron has no data of this program. He jumps up to a higher level and the others climb up after him but D-Rezz falls into a memory leak and lives up to his name. Rush squares off with Tron and demands that he identity his User. He sends a surging wave of energy zapping through Tron's nanocircuits triggered by entering all nine digits of his encryption code. Tron shuts down and falls into a memory leak and is derezzed. Rush picks up Tron's code disc. Mega is worried.

They are quickly surrounded by Finity Fighters and a dark limping figure appears who is revealed to be Flynn whose leg was badly damaged in the lab accident and barely escaped by activating the Quantum Digitizer. Flynn reveals that Mega has been working for him and he tells them that they have been playing for the wrong team and that Plexor's X-Net has taken control of the free system and that back in the real world Sinclair plans to hijack and control every computer system worldwide with his X-Net security software.

Meanwhile, in the real world, ATM's, traffic lights, and cell phones simultaneously go berserk causing widespread panic and chaos. Televisions all run the same add for X-Net's security software solution. Soon Encom is flooded with calls from all the major banks, airlines and governments from all nations demanding X-Net's security protection. Sinclair and his executives are pleased.

On the other side of the screen, I-Beem has returned to X-Net's central server and is revealed to be a spy for Plexor who tells him their location and that they are being helped by Flynn. He assembles his X-Net cruisers and X-Takk squads to find them. X-Net quickly crashes their hideout. Mega is captured. Plexor reprograms her. Rush is concerned that Mega is under Plexor's control but Flynn assures him that he gave Mega free-will to make her own choices. Flynn's Code Monkey's (no seriously) manage to hack a copy of the Hologon master encryption key to shut down X-Net. Rush is the only one who can power up Tron's code disc and becomes… wait for it… "Tronified."

They head for X-Net's power supply. I-Beem rejoins them and switches sides by shaking off his programming. They are confronted by X-Takks and bestial Cybavors. Flynn confronts Plexor. Rush manages to insert the Hologon into X-Net's control cell shutting it and Plexor down for good. The programs are liberated and free once again.

Back in the real world, Sinclair is giving his presentation for X-Net when it crashes. Rush re-materializes back in the lab. He is reunited with Megan and… Flynn whose leg has miraculously healed. Sinclair enters the lab furious that X-Net has crashed but when he see's Flynn he knows that his plan has been exposed. Flynn fires Sinclair and orders security to detain him so he can be questioned for charges from the SEC and the Justice Department and rewards the "heroes" by promoting them to executives in charge of the company. Rush kisses Meg.

END OF LINE.

I have to say that I felt Jefferies' script to be a big disappointment but knowing that this is not the final story as it will appear in the finished film does at least give me some hope and I remain cautiously optimistic that Joseph Kosinski will deliver a finished film that will be deserving of the legacy of Tron. The problem with this script is that it takes the original film's framework and reworks it for the internet generation. It's essentially Tron meets Hackers. Plexor is basically Sark. Encom has been transformed from a worldwide corporation with major military and defense contracts into a diabolical internet software company like Norton Anti-virus. The plot is predictable and cliched. That's not to say that the plot of the original film was much better because I will be the first to admit that it wasn't. Tron creator Steven Lisberger was heavily criticized for having a weak script that hampered Tron's critical reception when it was released but what sets the original film apart was that it was developing an entirely new mythology that had yet to be defined and was nearly a decade ahead of its time. Tron came out in 1982, the same year that cyberpunk author William Gibson released "Neuromancer" and coined the term "cyberspace" for the as-yet-to-be-defined electronic frontier. Tron was attempting to take these abstract ideas and concepts and work them into quasii-religious themes in an allegorical landscape while simultaneously pioneering a revolutionary kind of computer generated visual effects that not only gave the film a distinguished look and feel unlike anything that had ever come before it, but one that would remain solely unique in cinematic history. The techniques employed to create the world of Tron are in and of themselves obsolete and it would be impossible today to replicate the same aesthetic look, feel and nuances that gave Tron its defining characteristics. For example, the random "glitches" that occur throughout the original film were actually a happy accident caused by a problem with printing frames of exposed Kodaliths on film. Those techniques to process the film's visual effects are no longer used in the digital filmaking world. Certainly the technology has changed and advanced to the point where it would be relatively easy for the filmmakers to recreate the exact same environments and design of the original film digitally but have taken it to the next level by upgrading it to meet current 21st century visual standards. By that token, Tron Legacy will attempt to break new visual ground just as similarly as its predecessor did with a technically sub-standard script. I can only hope that Joseph Kosinski was aware of the shortcomings with Jefferies' script and that additional contributions made by writers Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal have reworked it into something much more sophisticated and philosophically intriguing. The trailer brilliantly hinted that Flynn was somehow able to mentally project himself within the electronic world as his younger-looking program Clu and that the electronic world can somehow interact simultaneously with the physical real world as if it is virtually juxtaposed three-dimensionally over our own. The Jefferies' script makes no allusions to this. My questions raised by the trailer are still unanswered. I can only hope that all will be revealed come December. Hopefully I'm not setting my expectations too high.

END OF LINE.

Well, I guess he didn't like it. That's fine, as this project has gone through several revisions and writers. The fact that the latest drafts were handled by people that have written "Lost" is reassuring. I've talked to a couple Bothans that say the final script and film itself are significantly different that this version.

And that trailer coming out soon has been described as very impressive...

Black Hole Revelations...

It appears that MTV Movie Blog talked to Joseph Kosinski about his follow up to "Tron Legacy" for Disney...

He gives some details as to what he wants to leave in and what he wants to discard from "The Black Hole" in the interview. Give it a read.

And yes, it's a remake/reboot not a sequel...

Heading Back Into The Hole...

Now this is welcome news...

The Hollywood Reporter is breaking that Joseph Kosinski, Sean Bailey and screenwriter Travis Beacham have been attached to create a remake of Disney's "The Black Hole." This is great news as it's something I've always felt was a great property for a remake. Then again, I thought Witch Mountain would be a great remake, but it all depends on the material and the people associated with it. "Race to Witch Mountain" had the wrong people attached to it and weak material to film. There was a great story there that was squandered. This one appears to have the right people attached from the get go.

It looks like Bailey isn't through with his Disney remakes/prequels/sequels as he was one of the producers on Disney's 20K Nemo prequel. That feel through, but this one looks to be a go for the new Ross regime. I was worried from some of the stuff I've seen Ross quoted as saying a Disney film should be, but this gives me more confidence in the man and his decision making abilities. Looks like Kosinski has a project to do in between Tron sequels.

Check a look at Decadent Dave's post about a remake of The Black Hole last year on this subject; turns out he's a prophet...

All Tron, All The Time...

So, the guy likes science fiction.


Or at least tangentially related to it...

It seems everywhere I turn I keep stepping on new Tron news. If this keeps up, I'll have to change the name of the blog. Remember when we reported that Joseph Kosinski was working on a graphic novel titled: "Oblivion" in addition to his directing duties on "Tron Legacy" earlier this year? Well, it now appears that according to the Hollywood Reporter, that may be his next film after the sequel to the classic 80's film. Radical Publishing, who are producing the graphic novel are also planning on producing the film with David Fincher. Yes, that Fincher.

Intriguing...

From Conception To Birth...

Last year in San Diego, fans got to see what Walt Disney Pictures had been working on for the proposed "Tron" sequel and now you can see it too...

DEPOSIT COINS.

The Mouse has released the concept trailer that Joseph Kosinski filmed to show the Suits what he was aiming for. It appears they liked it, but were a little nervous about committing to a budget this big without knowing there was enough demand for this film. That screening last year convinced them to greenlight the pic and, well, here we are.



Apparently they're going to try and screen the film at Comic-Con next year, even though it will be in unfinished form and not released until later that year. That's right, as you can tell by the trailer, the film will be in selected theaters in 2010. This more than likely means that it'll be a holiday release. But what about those down in San Diego? I'm sure fans of this cult classic are going to be very happy to hear this as they book their hotel rooms for next year. I know how they feel.



Now where is that credit card, this hotel receptionist is getting a little impatient...

What I Really Want To Do Is Write...

Some people don't know when enough is enough...

Joseph Kosinski(Tron 2), who is in charge of one of the most awaited films of the next couple years. A man who a year ago you could have mentioned to me and I would have said: "who?" has a side job apparently. I guess Disney isn't paying him as much as I thought.

The director of the Tron sequel wants to be a writer and not surprisinly, people are listening. Kosinski will be coming out with an illustrated novel called "Oblivion" from Radical Books in 2010. This should be just when he's deep, deep in post on the Disney picture. I wonder where he finds the time...

Perhaps next a video game...