Tron (franchise)

Tron (stylized in all caps) is an American science fiction media franchise created by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. It began with the eponymous 1982 film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The original film portrays Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a genius computer programmer and video game developer who becomes transported inside a digital virtual reality known as "The Grid", where he interacts with programs in his quest to escape.
Tron became a cult film and was acclaimed for its groundbreaking visual effects and extensive use of early computer-generated imagery. It was followed by the 2010 sequel film Tron: Legacy, which takes place 28 years after the events of the first film and depicts the attempts of Flynn's son Sam in retrieving his lost father from within the Grid, now ruled by a corrupt program.
The film series has spawned various tie-ins, including video games, a comic book miniseries, music recording albums, theme park attractions, and an animated television series that aired on Disney XD in June 2012.
Tron is a 1982 American science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, Bruce Boxleitner as Tron and his User Alan Bradley, Cindy Morgan as Yori and Dr. Lora Baines, and Dan Shor as Ram. David Warner plays all three main antagonists: the program Sark, his User Ed Dillinger, and the voice of the Master Control Program. It was written and directed by Steven Lisberger, with story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird, and music composed by Wendy Carlos. Tron has a distinctive visual style, as it was one of the first films from a major studio to use computer graphics extensively.
Tron: Legacy is a 2010 science fiction film. Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn and also, in a digitally de-aged form, plays the film's antagonist, a new version of his CLU program. Bruce Boxleitner also returns as Alan Bradley and, likewise de-aged, as Tron. They are joined by Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn, Kevin's son, the film's primary protagonist; Olivia Wilde as digital warrior Quorra; Michael Sheen as Castor, owner of a nightclub within the Grid; and Beau Garrett as Gem, a program that works within the digital world. The film deals with Sam investigating the disappearance of his father twenty years earlier, a quest that ultimately leads him into an isolated digital world created by his father after the events of the first film. Lisberger returned as a producer and consultant on the film, written by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, directed by Joseph Kosinski in his feature film directorial debut, and featured original music by Daft Punk.
In October 2010, a third film was announced to be in development, with Kosinski returning as director with a script co-written by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. In January 2011, it was announced that a short film was being made as a teaser for the third film, and that it will be released exclusively on the home media release of Legacy. Kosinski stated in April that the script was underway, while confirming that the movie will continue on from where Tron: Legacy ended. He stated that Sam and Quorra's relationship is "the next step", with the plot following their adventures in the real world. The first draft of the script was completed, with the working title announced as "TR3N". By June 2011, David DiGilio signed on to contribute to the script, as Horowitz and Kitsis were not available for a rewrite given their commitments to the Once Upon a Time television series. In March 2012, Bruce Boxleitner stated that filming was expected to begin in 2014, after Kosinski would complete working on Oblivion. In June 2012, Horowitz and Kitsis confirmed that they were still involved with the third film, while reiterating that Quorra will be one of the primary characters in the plot.
In December 2012, Jesse Wigutow was hired to rewrite the script, while Bruce Boxleitner and Garrett Hedlund were confirmed to reprise their respective roles from previous movies. In September 2013, Kosinski confirmed that work on the script was ongoing, and stated that though he does not know when production will begin, the ending of Tron: Legacy hints at the direction of the next installment. By January 2014, Boxleitner stated that though he did not know the entire story of the third film, that the movie will follow up on what Sam states to Alan at the end of Legacy: "'We're going to take the company back.'" The actor further explains that, "…that's not the end of the movie. That's the beginning of the next one. That's foreshadowing…" while also confirming that Cillian Murphy is expected to reprise his role, stating that "Eddie Dillinger Jr.'s going to be as bad as his dad was." In March 2015, the film entered pre-production, with Hedlund and Wilde confirmed to reprise their roles from Legacy. Principal photography was scheduled to commence in October of the same year in Vancouver, Canada. However, Walt Disney Pictures delayed the project indefinitely in May 2015. Boxleitner expressed his distaste for the studio's decision, the project's lengthy development stage, and that he had lost interest in working on the film; stating: "I don't want to repeat my career anymore." Hedlund stated that the box office disappointments from Tomorrowland influenced the company's resolve to delay photography.
The concept and ideas for a third film continued behind the scenes, from August 2016 to March 2017, when Jared Leto was announced to have signed on to co-star as a new character named Ares. In March 2019, co-producer Justin Springer confirmed that development on the project is ongoing; stating: "…it's about finding the right time, right script, and the right people at the studio…" In June 2020 the Walt Disney Studios President of Music & Soundtracks, Mitchel Leib, stated that while the studio hopes that Kosinski will return to the franchise, the studio was searching for a director. Although Lieb stated in 2020 that he intended for Daft Punk to once again serve as composers on the film soundtrack score, the duo would disband in 2021. In August 2020, it was announced that Garth Davis would serve as director with a script written by Jesse Wigutow. In addition to Leto's role as one of the main characters, he will serve as co-producer with Justin Springer and Emma Ludbrook.
In March 2022, Leto confirmed that the film was still in development. By January 2023, Davis had exited as director, with Joachim Rønning entering negotiations to replace him; while production was planned to begin in Vancouver by August 2023. Initially scheduled to begin on August 14, 2023, principal photography was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. In June 2023, Evan Peters was set to join the cast. Following the conclusion of the strikes in early November 2023, filming was reportedly set to begin early 2024. In late November 2023 however, it was announced that production on the project would officially begin following the holiday season of the same year. The film is set to be released on October 10, 2025.
As video games are a key element in the films, various games based on Tron have been produced over the years. Atari initially had plans to develop a Space Paranoids adaptation, but this was canceled due to the video game crash of 1983. A complete list of the released video games, follows.
The short film titled Tron: The Next Day, chronologically taking place one day after the events of Tron: Legacy, was included in all home media releases of Legacy; distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on April 5, 2011. The film, in addition to dealing with the immediate aftermath of Legacy, explores events that occurred between the events of the original film and its sequel. The short features the return of Dan Shor as Roy Kleinberg, and references Kevin Flynn.
In March 2010, Disney announced that a TV series, entitled Tron: Uprising, was in production. The premiere aired on June 7, 2012, on Disney XD. The series was cancelled after 19 episodes with the last episode airing on January 28, 2013.
In 2005, animation director Ciro Nieli was given the opportunity to develop an animated TV series based on Tron. Nieli, who is best known for 2012's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, had previously created the series Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! for Disney. However, plans for the Tron series ultimately fell through. According to Nieli, the pitch for the Tron series was reworked from a previous original concept of his known as "Powercade", featuring two kids who inherit electrical powers, accompanied by a creature named "Glitch".
A live action television series was in development by John Ridley as a Disney+ exclusive, before the project was shelved.
From 1982 to 1995, Tron was featured in Disneyland's PeopleMover attraction, as part of The World of Tron, in which the light cycle sequence from the film was projected around park guests as their vehicle passed through a tunnel on the upper level of the Carousel Theater, placing the PeopleMover in the role of a light cycle. The attraction was known as PeopleMover Thru the World of Tron after this sequence was added. From 1977 to 1982, this segment was previously home to the "SuperSpeed Tunnel," in which race cars were projected around the vehicles.
In 2010, the Epcot Monorail on the Walt Disney World Monorail System received wrap advertisements featuring blue and yellow light cycles on either side of the train to promote Tron: Legacy.
ElecTRONica was announced on the Disney Parks Blog for Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Disney's ElecTRONica is an interactive nighttime dance party in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. It is a similar experience to Glow Fest, but with a focus on Tron: Legacy. ElecTRONica features lights, lasers, music, and projections to promote the film. On October 29, 2010, the nighttime show World of Color began soft-openings, which included a Tron: Legacy-themed encore using Daft Punk's original music from the soundtrack and new effects and projections on various Paradise Pier attractions. The segment was added on November 1, 2010, and ended on March 23, 2011. ElecTRONica ended on April 15, 2012, and was replaced by Mad T Party.
In 2016, a roller coaster called Tron Lightcycle Power Run opened in Shanghai Disneyland. Guests board single-seat motorbike roller coasters modeled after light cycles and manufactured by Vekoma. A cloned version of the ride opened at the Magic Kingdom in April 2023. The ride had previews from February 6 to March 3, 2023, exclusively for Walt Disney World employees.
A novelization of Tron was released in 1982, written by American science fiction novelist Brian Daley. It included eight pages of color photographs from the movie. Also that year, Disney Senior Staff Publicist Michael Bonifer authored a book entitled The Art of Tron which covered aspects of the pre-production and post-production aspects of Tron. To support the film's release in 1982, Disney also published several books targeting children, including Tron: A Pop-Up Book, Tron: The Storybook, and The Story of Tron, a book and audio combination (with either 33 RPM 7 inch record or audio cassette).
A nonfiction book about the making of the original film, called The Making of Tron: How Tron Changed Visual Effects and Disney Forever was published in 2011 and written by William Kallay.
In 2010, to coincide with the release of Tron: Legacy, a range of new books have been released; including a range of junior novels – Tron: The Junior Novel by Alice Alfonsi, Tron: Legacy – Derezzed by James Gelsey, Tron: Legacy – Out of the Dark by Tennant Redbank, Tron: Legacy – It's Your Call: Initiate Sequence by Carla Jablonski. Additional books include The Art of Tron: Legacy by Justin Springer, Joseph Kosinski, and Darren Gilford, and Tron Legacy: The Movie Storybook by James Ponti.
To support the release of the film in 1982, Disney briefly ran a Sunday comic strip adaptation of the film.
In 2003, 88 MPH solicited a miniseries titled Tron 2.0: Derezzed. This comic was canceled before any issues were released.
In 2005, Slave Labor Graphics announced its six-issue miniseries, Tron: The Ghost in the Machine. The first issue was released in April 2006, the second issue in November of the same year. The comic book explores the concept of making a backup copy of a User within the computer system, and how that artificial intelligence might be materialized into the real world. The comic book was written by Landry Walker and Eric Jones, with art in the first two issues by Louie De Martinis. The artist on the last three issues was Mike Shoykhet.
The comic from Slave Labor Graphics opens with a detailed history of the Tron universe, providing this previously unseen background on the events that allowed Ed Dillinger and the MCP to rise to power:
Marvel Comics released a two issue miniseries entitled Tron: Betrayal in October 2010. The story takes place a year after the original film. In January 2011, to coincide with the release of the sequel Tron: Legacy, Marvel also released a new comic book adaptation of the original 1982 film. Tron: Original Movie Adaptation was written by Peter David with art by Mirco Pierfederici.
A manga version of Tron: Legacy was released by Earth Star Entertainment in Japan on June 30, 2011.
Light cycles were originally fictional vehicles designed by Syd Mead for the simulated world of the Tron universe. Five real-life replica light cycles were created by Parker Brothers Concepts in Florida, one of which was sold by Sotheby's for a reported $77,000.
These futuristic two-wheeled vehicles resemble motorcycles and create walls of colored light. The vehicles were primarily used in a competition between humanoid computer programs, similar to the 1976 arcade game Blockade, which was the first of a genre called snake. Players are in constant motion on a playfield, creating a wall of light behind them as they move. If players hit a wall, their light cycle explodes, placing them out of the game; the last player in the game wins. Since the original display in Tron, there have been numerous adaptations, as well as references in popular culture.
A light cycle toy, in red and yellow versions, was produced by Tomy as part of the merchandising for the Tron film, along with action figures scaled to fit inside the toy cycles. Bootleg versions of Tomy's design were produced by other toy manufacturers that came in a wide variety of colors, including blue and silver, but were noticeably smaller than the Tomy-produced toy, too small in fact to accommodate one of the Tomy action figures.
Light cycles make a return in Tron: Legacy, with new designs by Daniel Simon. According to the press conference at Comic-Con 2009, a new vehicle appears called a "Light Runner," a two-seat version of the light cycle. It is said to be very fast, and has the unique ability to go off the grid on its own power. We also get a glimpse at Kevin Flynn's own cycle, a "Second Generation Light Cycle" designed in 1989 by Flynn and "rumor has it it's still the fastest thing on the grid." It incorporates some of the look of both films.
The video game Tron: Evolution, which is set between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy, features light cycles in sections of the single-player mode and in certain game maps for the multiplayer mode. Light cycle use in multiplayer gives players the option to shift back and forth between cycle and foot travel at will, and provides multiple attack and defensive options beyond the classic "boxing in" of an opponent. In addition, the light cycles of Evolution can pass through their own light trails (and the trails of allied players) unharmed.
A more classic interpretation of the light cycle game is shown in the video game Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids, which is primarily based on offline multi- or single-player matches. These light cycle battles do not allow the player to pass through their own trail, but do allow passage through teammates' trails. There is also no option to travel on foot.
A TRON: Legacy themed Lego Ideas set with two Lightcycles was released in 2018.