With Tron 3 finally in development after over a decade of waiting, fans are already thinking about all of the things they want to happen in this long-awaited threequel. Unfortunately, after a recent announcement that’s shaken the internet to its core, Daft Punk returning to create the musical score is one of those things that just doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. However, the legendary music duo did break up in a spectacularly epic way that’s a perfect callback to their earlier career.
Through a snippet of footage from their 2007 movie Electroma, Daft Punk band members Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo posted a video entitled “Epilogue,” intended to signal their retirement after almost 30 years of action. Through the repurposing of the big self-destruct scene from towards the end of that film, a rather hopeful tone is hinted at the end as “Touch,” a song from the band’s last album Random Access Memories, kicks in with the surviving Punk walking into the distance. See the video for yourself, below:
It’s an epic break-up that sees Daft Punk separate on their own terms, with their own message and music being used in the process. But that unfortunately means that the film known widely as Tron: Ares will need to look for another composer or musical act to bring that next chapter to sonic life. Just when things were looking up in terms of potentially getting new Daft Punk music into the world through the auspices of Tron: Ares, news like this had to go and break everyone’s hearts. At this moment, it looks like director Garth Davis has his work cut out for him when it comes to finding a successor.
There is an upside to Tron: Ares’ soundtrack hopes, even without Daft Punk operating as a techno-fueled duo to provide a sonic sequel to their iconic work on Tron: Legacy. Composer Joseph Trapanese is just as familiar with the world of music on The Grid, as he not only collaborated with the group on their Tron: Legacy soundtrack, but Trapanese also scored the short lived Disney XD series Tron: Uprising. While it’s important to note that no one has been hired for Tron: Ares’ scoring duties, there’s already a really good prospect in the world for continuing Tron’s musical legacy.
Daft Punk fans are obviously mourning the split with fresh sorrow, and that’s to be expected. But their history in music, especially when it comes to revitalizing the Tron: Legacy, will never fade away. Hiring a new act to take their place isn’t going to be an easy feat, but as long as that decision is made with the same sort of care that saw Daft Punk become a part of Disney history, whatever comes next will be a welcomed surprise.
