It was a surprising turn of events earlier this month when it was revealed that the Walt Disney Company is actively working towards making a Tron 3. And while the movie does not yet have a firm release date announced by the studio, it seems that the production may have a name. Are you ready for Tron: Ascension?
While we can't say for sure if this is the official name of the upcoming sequel, it's the Twitter account of Production Weekly that's claiming that the new Tron movie has a title. What's more, they also added in details about when and where the production is planning to shoot - which seemingly confirms the plans reported three weeks ago.
Admittedly, "Ascension" does feel like it's pulled out of the same "Meaningless Subtitle Dictionary" from which the Resident Evil franchise gets all its sequel names, but when given some thought, one can see how it fits with the sci-fi Tron franchise, with characters working to "ascend" from the grid into reality.
As noted, Joseph Kosinski is attached to direct Tron 3/Tron Ascension, though little else is known about the sequel's development at this time. Tron Legacy star Garrett Hedlund and Bruce Boxleitner have both suggested that they would be involved, though those quotes come from 2012 and 2011, respectively. The movie would presumably also have an interest in bringing back Olivia Wilde to reprise her role as Quorra, but we haven't actually heard anything either way. Of course, if an October production start date is firm, that means we should start getting many updates in the coming months. Let's not forget that Disney's bi-annual convention, the D23 Expo, is being held this summer.
Analyzing another thread of this news, if production on Tron 3/Tron Ascension isn't actually expected to end until February 2016, then that means it may be a good long while until we see any kind of finished result. This is a franchise, not unlike James Cameron's Avatar films, that take an incredibly long time to work through post-production. Presumably the visual effects work will begin during principal photography, but many, many months are going to be needed to render the aesthetic of the franchise we've grown to appreciate. As such, we may have to wait until 2017 to actually see the finished result - though that would see the sequel join a crop of Disney franchise films that also includes Star Wars: Episode VIII, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, the new Spider-Man movie, Thor: Ragnarok, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Toy Story 4.
As always, stay tuned for more updates about Tron 3, and hit the comments to tell us what you think of the name Tron: Ascension. Do you like it or despise it?
