Disney Brings the Grid, and the Light Bikes, With 'Tron: Ares' Footage at Comic-con
'It's fun to see it on the big screen for the first time,' said director Joachim Rønning. Disney turned the Hall H panel into a spectacle with red lasers filling the room and characters in suits with red lights entering the massive hall. Asked what excited her about joining the Tron franchise, Lee responded: 'I just wanted to ride a light cycle.' Friday's panel ended with the premiere of the music video for 'As Alive as You Need Me to Be,' the first Nine Inch Nails song from the soundtrack.
Tron has never been in the top tier of sci-fi franchises. The original 1982 film, starring Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a man sucked into a computer vortex known as the Grid, was admired for its groundbreaking concept and effects and was a modest hit with moderately good reviews. Perhaps more importantly, it won a cult following and has been maintained enough in cultural memory to remain a valuable property for Disney. The 2010 film Tron: Legacy, starring Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, made more than $400 million globally. A TV show that followed, Tron: Uprising, lasted just one season. Norwegian director Joachim Rønning has helmed other Disney franchise films: 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and 2019's Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Leto and Bridges are both Oscar winners, and Rønning is an Oscar nominee.
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