Chatter surrounding the forthcoming sci-fi sequel Tron 3 has exploded in recent weeks, following an innocent slip in a local Vancouver paper alerting residents to the movie’s production. However, the existence of a third Tron sequel wasn’t entirely unknown prior to that announcement. In 2011, voice star Bruce Boxleitner confidently assured fans that a follow-up to that year’s Tron: Legacy was definitely on the cards, and director Joseph Kosinski’s prep on the sequel was so far along in 2013 that he went on the record comparing it to The Empire Strikes Back. To sum up the evidence, it’s been a long time coming, but Tron 3 is on the way.
And, if you needed even further confirmation on that, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter has two returning stars locked in. Olivia Wilde, who played Quorra in Legacy, and Garrett Hedlund, who tackled the part of Jeff Bridges son Sam Flynn, are both reprising their roles for the upcoming production. Taking up residence in the director’s chair again, Kosinski will be delving back into the Grid, a decision that Disney are no doubt thrilled about. Even though Tron: Legacy was on the receiving end of a mixed critical reception, it nevertheless went on to chalk up $400 million in box office receipts across the globe.
So far, word on the exact plot of the third movie – tentatively-titled Tron: Ascension – is pretty sparse. The only insight into the next batch of adventures for Sam and Quorra emerged in 2012 from Kosinski, when he enthusiastically described his overall plan for a threequel:
“We’ve been talking about it for a couple years and there’s always been this idea, a big idea, in the back of my head that we’ve been talking about. The idea itself, the notion of what the next Tron could be, is exciting enough that it would be worth going back to do it… We do have the idea that feels big and really blows the doors off this franchise. It’s hinted at promises of something for two movies now, for thirty years, so it’s time to deliver on that.”
With the confirmation of Wilde and Hedlund’s return in the bag, we can expect a raft of more rumors and casting reports before Tron 3 lenses in Vancouver.
