After years of waiting—nearly 20—for a sequel, Tron: Legacy soon will debut in theaters. Take a sneak peek at what to expect.
It’s been nearly 20 years since audiences were introduced to the futuristic video game world in Tron. Soon they will revisit that alternate reality in Tron: Legacy, directed by Joseph Kosinski in what will be his feature-film directorial debut. The original Tron director, Steven Lisberger, will return, this time as a producer on the film.
Actor Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn, and Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role as Alan Bradley and Tron, while Garrett Hedlund portrays Flynn's now-adult son, Sam, in this 3D cult classic.
Sam Flynn, a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin, a man once known as the world's leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the abandoned Flynn's Arcade—that could have only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a world where Kevin has been trapped for 25 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra, father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a visually-stunning digital universe—created by Kevin himself—which has become far more advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, and landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.
In the film, it was Flynn who created the game universe, but in reality, several visual effects houses contributed to the visual effects that are at the heart of this anticipated film, with Digital Domain’s Eric Barba serving as production visual effects supervisor. In addition to Digital Domain, other facilities working on the movie are: Quantum Creation FX, Mr. X, Whiskeytree, Lola Visual Effects, Prime Focus, and more.
Tron Legacy is expected to be a hot contender for the Oscar, with many in the industry calling it 2010’s answer to Avatar in terms of the CG work.
Today’s digital artists who are working on this film have a lot to live up to. Turning back the clock almost two decades, when Disney’s Tron was envisioned, few companies knew how to create CG effects, yet the film needed all-digital shots inside a video game. Although now recognized as landmarks, the visual effects created by MAGI, Triple-I, Robert Abel & Associates, and Digital Effects were ignored by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Visual Effects Branch that year.