Cult films, by their very nature, take some time to catch on with audiences. That has happened with Tron, and is slowly beginning to happen with its sequel, Tron: Legacy. One of the few downsides to this, however, could be that no further films may be made. The nature of Hollywood and filmmaking also changes amongst the studios, and these are just some of the reasons that Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski points to for no further Tron films being made.
In an interview with Vulture, Kosinski confirmed that he had “storyboarded and written” a third Tron film. The idea for the film was to have the video game world bleed into the real world and the fallout of the blending of the two, as opposed to humans getting sucked into the game. This film would have been called Tron: Ascension, and these details are unfortunately all that’s known about that film. Disney never formally announced any plans for Kosinski to make a third film, and Kosinski credits this to their acquisition of Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm.
Disney purchased Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012, with Tron: Legacy having been released in late 2010. Disney didn’t really get going with Marvel films until 2012 with The Avengers, as the previous films (excluding The Incredible Hulk) were released under Paramount Pictures. Kosinski has a good point, as Disney was obviously preoccupied with these existing IPs in those years following 2010, developing films like Iron Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Here’s what Kosinski said on this matter with Vulture:
“It was a different Disney by 2015. When I made “Tron: Legacy,” they didn’t own Marvel; they didn’t own “Star Wars.” We were the play for fantasy and science fiction. And once you’ve got those things under your umbrella, it makes sense that you’re going to put your money into a known property and not the weird art student with black fingernails in the corner – that was “Tron.” And that’s okay.”
Kosinski also referenced how no real development on his third Tron film allowed him to make projects like Only the Brave, and presumably the highly successful Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. He also expressed that he hopes the love for Tron: Legacy continues to develop. Legacy was certainly not a box office bomb (though also not a major hit), collecting around $400 million against a production budget of $170 million. Those average numbers, a mixed critical response, and the sheen of Tony Stark’s armor and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber undoubtedly concocted Disney’s apprehension with a third film.
However, Disney did eventually greenlight a third ‘Tron’ film, from director Garth Davis and set to star Jared Leto. The film is currently in development.
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