Comic-Con Tron-Legacy

The other movie that's a 4 letter word that starts with "T" and has an "R" and an "O".

TRON: LEGACY PANEL (2010 COMIC-CON)

Of all the presentations at Comic-Con 2010, Tron: Legacy was the one I was most excited about. I grew up in the 80's and when Tron came out, it was a pretty big deal. Its a dated film technically, but in terms of story, it was way ahead of its time. For years, Tron creator Steven Lisberger has tried to get a new film of the ground. It wasn't until two years ago that Disney finally decided it was time to bring Tron back. And in fact, the whole Legacy journey began at Comic-Con 2008. It was there that a Tron test reel was unveiled and it brought the house down!

Shortly after that unveiling, Disney green lit the project. At last year's con fan's were treated to a Tron: Legacy panel, but at that point, none of the film's effects shots were completed. This year, however, director Joe Kosinski and his cast and crew had a lot to share with the eager audience. The panel was moderated by the hilarious Patton Oswalt. On hand for the panel; Kosinski, Liesberger, producer Sean Bailey, and stars Bruce Boxleitner, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. Much of the plot is being kept under wraps, but it should be noted that Tron: Legacy is not really a reboot. It is in fact a follow-up. Kosinski and crew did say that this is stand alone film though. Its being constructed for both fans of the original and new audiences. It was also suggested that Jeff Bridges is playing two different characters in this picture. He'll be portraying Flynn and Flynn's younger looking computer program. The technical process that will allow audiences to see a younger Bridges really is astonishing. We only got a few glimpses at it but it was strangely cool. We were shown a scene in which star Garrett Hedlund is first transported to the cyber-world. He's fitted for a strange, luminescent costume and sent in to engage in a disc war. We were then shown a montage of quickly cut images all set to score from electronica giants Daft Punk.

Really amazing stuff. Vibrant! Visual effects have certainly come a long way since the first Tron film back in 1981. The Legacy reel was in 3-D. In fact, the film was shot in 3-D. This will not be one of those crappy post conversions. And this is one of the few film projects that actually lends itself nicely to the 3-D process, because it really is about immersion. Following the breathtaking sizzle reel, the film makers unveiled the new trailer which I've included at the end of this piece. All in all, this panel did not disappoint. I am now more excited about this film then I've ever been. The breathtaking Tron: Legacy reel even impressed me more than last year's much talked about Avatar footage. Following the reel, Kosinski revealed that he needed the audience's help on the film. He then proceeded to use the audience in a massive post production audio session. It was pretty damn spectacular. We got to cheer and stomp our feet all in the name of Tron! Hopefully, the collective sound of Hall H will be in the finished project. Listening to Lisberger and crew talk about their passion for this this long time coming project was joyful and getting to see Jeff Bridges in person was an absolute thrill. I have a good feeling about Tron: Legacy. Disney is grooming this to be the "next big thing" and I really think it will be. We'll find out on December 17th.

Click here for the stunning new Tron: Legacy trailer;

http://disney.go.com/tron/index_flash.html#/media-legacy-videos