Original Tron Star Ready To Return For Sequel
Bruce Boxleitner wants to return to the Tron franchise for a third movie after appearing in the original
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Fans aren’t the only ones crossing their fingers for another entry in the Tron franchise. According to MovieWeb, Bruce Boxleitner, the actor who portrayed the character Alan Bradley in previous installments of the series, is most definitely down to visit the Grid once more. In fact, he told a group of fans at this year’s D23 Expo that he’d heard a third film was in development.
Several years back, a third Tron movie was practically a done deal. Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto was attached to star, and director Joseph Kosinski storyboarded and wrote the entire script for the film. Unfortunately, Disney pulled the plug on the project in 2015, and the motion picture franchise has been on a hiatus ever since.
Released in 1982, Tron was a revolutionary film due to its groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking set pieces. The cult classic celebrated its 40th anniversary at D23 Expo 2022, with a panel featuring several cast and crew members who all had a hand in bringing the movie to life. Producer Donald Kushner, associate producer Harrison Ellenshaw, effects technical supervisor John Scheele, and actor Bruce Boxleitner all attended the panel to participate in an hour-long conversation about the movie.
Most of the discussion between the cast and crew centered around the impact Tron had on the film industry, as it was one of the first motion pictures to heavily use CGI (computer-generated imagery). Toward the end of the panel, however, the conversation shifted to the road ahead. The panelists said they were optimistic about a sequel being in development.
Bruce Boxleitner has appeared in every Tron feature to date including the 1982 flick, the 2010 follow-up Legacy, the 2011 short The Next Day, and the TV series Uprising. Additionally, he voiced the film’s title character in the videogame Evolution – Battle Grids, which accompanied the release of Legacy. When asked about development of a third entry during the Tron panel at D23 Expo 2022, he said, “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t down to come back.”
Although Tron wasn’t a massive success when it was released in theaters back in 1982, earning $33 million from a budget of $17 million, it has become a cult-classic over the years. The story centers on a computer hacker who is abducted into a digital world where he is forced to participate in life-threatening games, and his only chance of survival is with the assistance of a heroic security program. The sci-fi action flick stars Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, and Cindy Morgan.
2010’s Tron: Legacy fared much better at the box office, earning just over $400 million globally. Unfortunately, the sequel came with an insane budget reported to be as high as $320 million. It’s no wonder Disney has been hesitant to move forward with a third entry.
Jared Leto, who was attached a third Tron movie at one point, gave a promising update on the long-awaited sequel earlier this year. He told ScreenRant that he was working hard on the film with Disney saying, “We’re getting closer.” Pair Leto’s statement with Bruce Boxleitner’s recent comments regarding development on a third movie, and fans have every reason to remain hopeful that a new sequel is on the way.
