This is the first anyone has heard of a date and a “done deal”, but it’s not like Disney would nix the original star out. Thoughts? Ready to return to the grid?

Elijah Wood, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Mandy Moore, Paul Reubens, Lance Henriksen, and Bruce Boxleitner provide voices for the series.

Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series follows Beck, a young program who becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution inside the computer world of The Grid. His mission is to free his home and friends from the reign of the villainous Clu and his henchman General Tesler. Beck will be trained by Tron – the greatest warrior the Grid has ever known. Tron will not only teach Beck the fighting skills he needs to challenge this brutal military occupation, but will be a guide and mentor to him as he grows beyond his youthful, impulsive nature into a courageous, powerful leader. Destined to become the new protector of the system, Beck adopts Tron’s persona and becomes the archenemy of Tesler and his oppressive forces.

We are going to have to wait just a little bit on this, as it’s still in production for its Summer 2012 debut. Thoughts?

Source: Collider

Zoe Saldana, Olivia Wilde, Ben Barnes, John Hannah, J.K. Simmons, and Nora Arnezeder join Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, and Dennis Quaid to round out the cast of the dramatic thriller The Words. The film marks Tron Legacy writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal’s directorial debut. Klugman and Sternthal also wrote the script, which went through the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab and appeared on the Black List (the annual list of Hollywood’s best unproduced screenplays). The Words starts shooting this month in Montreal.

The Words follows a writer (Cooper) who, at the peak of his literary success, discovers the price he must pay for stealing another man’s work.

Michael Benaroya of Benaroya Pictures is producing along with Animus Films’ Jim Young, and Serena Films’ Tatiana Kelly. Untitled Entertainment’s Laura Rister is executive producing the film with Cassian Elwes under their joint venture Waterfall Media. Rister and Elwes are shepherding the project. Cinematographer Antonio Calvache (Little Children) is the Director of Photography.

We will keep you posted.

With the rules in place, Killer Film hopes that you’ll be just as excited for their future films, so let’s see who we are behind 100% in Killer Film’s Directing Newcomers to Watch!

Donny Broussard’s Picks:

- Andres and Diego Meza-Valdes (Play Dead)

This Miami filmmaking team first impressed me with their short film The Room and now they are back with a new film and a successful Kickstarter campaign. These guys understand how to make a low-budget flick look like it cost a million bucks, they are strong storytellers, and on top of that they are extremely nice guys. Do yourself a favor and seek out everything these two have done. You’ll thank me for it.

- Gareth Edwards (Monsters)

Gareth came out of the gate with his foot planted firmly on the gas and turned out one of the most impressive directorial debuts I’ve ever seen. Not only is this guy an amazing director, he’s an accomplished visual effects artist and cameraman. Score for movie fans!

- Patrick Hughes (Red Hill)

I love westerns and it is obvious that Patrick Hughes loves them too. His flick Red Hill blew me away at Fantastic Fest last year and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. If you haven’t seen Red Hill, then do so, and if you have, then watch it again.

- Dan Riesser (Night of the Punks)

When I first saw Night of the Punks I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was like I had been transported back to the ’80s and solid rock n’ roll horror comedies were all the rage again. Dan Riesser is a director that knows what he likes and he knows how to get it. Someone give this guy the keys to the studio please!

- Mousa Kraish (How to Make a Dollarbill in Brooklyn)

Mousa is not only a solid director, he’s a relentless promoter, an amazing writer, first class photographer, funny, and one of the nicest guys working in the industry today. His short film How to Make a Dollarbill in Brooklyn took a bold look into relationships and is one of the best short films I’ve ever seen. He’s on this list because it’s only a matter of time before his star rises to the top. Google him and enjoy.

Jon Peters’ Picks:

- Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun)

Who would have thought coming off of a fake grindhouse trailer contest, that a newbie like Jason Eisener would have not only delivered one of the most balls-out, crazy-ass action flick in some time, but also resurrected Rutger Hauer? All of that in one solo outing. Besides his short film Treevenge, he’s one film-maker to keep tabs on.

- Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow)

A stunning debut for artist Panos Cosmatos, his feature is this weird and wonderful retro ode to THX-1138, Logan’s Run, and Kubrick, and while that’s certainly aimed for a certain crowd, that doesn’t stop us from eagerly anticipating his follow-up.

- Drew Bolduc, Dan Nelson (The Taint)

There should have been no reason why this 68-minute Troma-esque film worked, and yet it did. Pumped full of Redbull, penis explosions, blood, and comedy, these guys proved that the Troma way of things are still worth while when done right. And if you don’t think they deserve to be here, then you can kiss a taint!

- Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film)

I’ve said so much about this controversial outing, I feel as if I’ve said too much. But that’s because the director, in his stunning debut, has made a film that people must pay attention too, even if they hate what it is. Controversial isn’t really the right word, but the political agenda mixed with things you cannot un-see, has me clamoring for what Spasojevic will do next.

- Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy)

Having a debut film be the highest grossing first feature film in history isn’t a bad start to a career, huh? After a few great little commercials for video games, Kosinski grabbed hold of the franchise and after repeated viewings created a stunning return visit to the world of Tron. He just might be the George Lucas that we thought George Lucas was going to be and never got.

That’s our picks! Comment below and tell us yours! Or debate our picks!

 We’ve already heard a few possible ideas as to where a sequel could go (here), and Kosinski has given more details on his plans. “I think we will pick with where TRON: LEGACY left off with Quorra [Olivia Wilde] in the real world and what does that mean and the possibilities it opens up for the next chapter. It’s that relationship between the two of them that’s the next step,” he said. Another thing we can very likely see is the return of Edward Dillinger, Jr. (Cillain Murphy) in the film. We’ve already seen that possibility recently (here), and Kosinski wants to elaborate on that in the next film. “Dillinger [David Warner] was a really important part of the first film and felt like an easy way to continue that storyline and thread to have his son in the new movie. That way you have people ask those questions of what the Dillinger legacy is in the world of TRON. We didn’t want to ignore it completely and it leaves a really nice springboard for some intertwining development for the next film,” he said.

The Film:

28 years ago, Tron was state of the art, but it also was a sci-fi fantasy of wishful thinking to where video games could go. Full-on user interface, a digital relationship that extends past the joystick seemed highly far-fetched in 1982. Even though Tron seemed like a precursor, in recent years with Wi-Fi, the Wii, and now the Kinect, Tron feels oddly like a godfather. For the iPad generation, Tron: Legacy should not feel like a world of tomorrow, but a world that will happen tomorrow. Digital dreams made true. Flynn would be proud.

Tron: Legacy is a stunning event picture that marries every known technological aid to its advantage, making its inception a digital hallmark, something that George Lucas tried to ring in with his Star Wars prequels, and failed. Tron: Legacy makes those look darn right analog. Credit Joseph Kosinski, who in his directorial debut, ushers in a new pinnacle in movie-making. Of course, he benefits from efforts before him who have succeeded and failed, but no one has yet crafted a visual wonder with flawless CG, mo-cap, and green screen like this wonder kid. He’s a new voice to get excited about. This is Avatar 2.0.

True, visuals will only carry you so far, and I’m sure many will view Tron: Legacy on just that note, and then decide its fate, but while the film does gloss over some potential for depth in its world, it’s fairly complex in its digital morality tale. Flynn and CLU 2 (both played by Jeff Bridges) strive feverishly for perfection, but it’s only Flynn who through failure realizes perfection is just a word, and it’s through error do we ultimately succeed. His world of Tron has evolved thanks to CLU 2, but not without some its hidden motive.

I think there’s something to the correlation of CLU 2′s need to be in the real world, and our need to be fully connected digitally. When will we stop? Are humans on a technological warpath that will eventually lead into the fiction that director Steven Lisberger originally had Flynn achieve? It’s a fascinating nugget to analysis, but with the wonders of the IMAX screen, with the light cycle battles and disc throws, it’s hard not to be caught up into this world of Tron. In fact, the IMAX 3D is the only preferred way to see the film. It’s epic and an experience you won’t get elsewhere.

Tron: Legacy is the next big thing. It’s a visual marvel, with its wonderful musical companion in Daft Punk’s monumental score. Thanks to a visionary director, Joseph Kosinski, who is a new voice in film making, Tron: Legacy will live on for years to come. It might not be a perfect experience, but what is? Tron is given little to do, sadly, and Michael Sheen’s character feels like a rejected extra from some video off of Marilyn Manson’s Mechanical Animals album, but Tron: Legacy – The IMAX 3D Experience is an event worth attending. Or at least, until the next upgrade comes out.

The 3D Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Disney unleashes digital perfection. They’ve been one of the better mainstream studios releasing their titles on Blu-ray and they’ve also been the leaders – in my opinion – in 3D Blu-ray releases and Tron: Legacy is one the the top releases early in the format’s life.

3D: First of all, the disc has three formats it shifts through – as intended by director Joseph Kosinski – so you’ll see the full framed IMAX footage (like The Dark Knight Blu-ray), switching between 2D and 3D, but nothing here hurts the picture quality. The 3D is just as good here at home as it was theatrically. Colors are bright, vivid, as are the blacks. Details are almost too good. It’s 1080p perfection.

2D: Even in this format, the HD picture is a marvel. Granted, the film was made for 3D, but even if you just buy the standard Blu-ray release, you’ll get one of the best HD picture samples on the market. Nothing changes from my above statements.

The DTS audio is pure demo room material. From Daft Punk’s amazing score, to the constantly active surround sound mix, and to the deep bass, this is a home theater mix that should either knock pictures off of the wall or have your neighbors calling the cops. Despite all of the action, nothing ever blurs together. Each sound effect has its place, so you’ll never have it over-power the mix, forcing dialogue to drown out. It’s more perfection from Disney.

The below extras are only found on the 2D Blu-ray disc of this four-disc release (3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy).

The Next Day: Flynn Lives: This all-new short film (in HD) follows the events after the film, acting like a possible prelude to an unannounced third film. It’s kind of neat.

Launching the Legacy: While only 10 minutes in length, it’s not just another EPK making-of. They cram all sorts of information and interviews covering the production from storyboards to filming.

Visualizing Tron: Here’s another quick 10 minute making-of, but again, it’s quite good even in its brevity. This one focuses on the lighting and designs of the Tron world.

Installing the Cast: Here’s your EPK piece. This one focuses on the actors, their casting and work.

Disney Second Screen: Always innovative, Disney’s newest feature is this, as fans can download an app (here) to either play on their iPad or PC, featuring interactive features that play along with the film. It’s pretty neat, actually. There’s also a quick tutorial on how to use this.

Disc Roars is a quick look at hoe Kosinski recorded the audience at Comic Con to use as sound effects in the film; a Music Video by Daft Punk is included; and we finish it all off with the Trailers.

The DVD copy and Digital Copy round out the other two discs, as I have mentioned.

Conclusion: Great film, greater Blu-ray disc. A new standard in the early format life of 3D Blu-ray in technical terms. Only negative is the lack of fully developed extras.

The Film: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The 3D Blu-ray: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Joseph Kosinski on the development: I remember watching Tron on VHS sometime on the mid-80s and that it looked and sounded like nothing I had ever seen before. The first film was ambitious in so many ways – visually, conceptually, and technologically. I wanted this film to be just as ambitious in all of those respects. The 28 years of back story was certainly a challenge from a script writing point of view. However, it was important to me that our film did not require prior knowledge of the first film.

The first film was conceptually decades ahead of its time. Now the notion of ‘cyberspace’ and a digital avatar is almost second nature. Also, our story is more than anything a father/son (or sons) story, which hopefully appealed to those who normally wouldn’t go see a sci-fi film.

From the beginning, I was not interested in making a movie about the internet. I liked the idea that this world had been sealed off since 1989 and had evolved on its own, like the Galapogos Islands.

Joseph Kosinski on Jeff Bridges and CLU: Jeff was involved from the very beginning. The Buddhist qualities that Flynn has taken on since being trapped in the Grid was something that Jeff brought to the table. There are a quite a few lines in the film that Jeff came up with or ad-libbed in the scene.

CLU was certainly the most technically and conceptually ambitious aspect we chose to tackle on this film. There is nothing more difficult than creating a realistic human face, especially if it is someone we know like Jeff Bridges. I do hear the criticism, but I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we would rather be criticized for trying something new rather than for not trying at all.

I think Jeff [Bridges] found it to be a bit strange as you would imagine. He described it as feeling like the first moment you ever hear your own voice on tape — not exactly what you would expect. We used Jeff’s performance of CLU and remapped it onto a digital version of himself at 35 years old. I used the movie Against All Odds as a reference for CLU’s appearance.

Joseph Kosinski on the 3D cinematography: Claudio Miranda and I had done over a dozen TV commercials together before I asked him to join me on Tron: Legacy. From the beginning I told him I wanted this to be an “uplit” world, light had to come from the floor whenever possible. That was a huge challenge for him in that he had to coordinate with the production designer [Darren Gilford] in order to incorporate lighting into the architecture. We also pioneered a ceiling mounted motion control rig for the End Of Line club, which was another “first” for our movie. The thing I love about Claudio is that he is not only an incredible artist, but a brilliant technician.

I think when 3D is used correctly it can create a more immersive experience. It should never be a distraction. I knew this film had to be shot in 3D from the very beginning. There certainly are a lot of challenges it presents. The cameras a more cumbersome and prone to more technical issues. They slow down the shooting process a bit. And they make the visual effects process much more difficult, particularly on a film like this. However, in the end I’m glad we went the way we did.

Joseph Kosinski on the suits: Actually, the suits used an illuminated fabric. It was important to me that the characters would illuminate their environment and each other. That would be something that would be incredibly difficult to simulate in post-production.

Joseph Kosinski on Daft Punk: I have been a fan of theirs for a long time, so I set up a meeting with them back in 2007, before I had even shot the test piece. I told them I wanted to create a classic film score that blended electronic and classical music in a way that hadn’t been done before. They were amazing collaborators, and I am very proud of the work they did.

Joseph Kosinski on the IMAX footage and the Blu-ray: They are so precisely calibrated and maintained, that I found the IMAX presentation to be the best reflection of the movie I wanted to make. I spent a lot of time working with the folks at IMAX to make sure we delivered that experience. I was happy to see that we were able to include the IMAX version on the Blu-ray. And yes, all of the IMAX scenes are presented in full frame [much like The Dark Knight's Blu-ray presentation].

After Tron: Legacy opened theatrically, I was able to go back to Skywalker Sound and fix approximately 100 different aspects of the sound mix that bothered me. So, the domestic Blu-ray contains that completely remixed and remastered 7.1 audio track. I sometimes find that the quality of movie theaters out there can vary widely, particularly for a 3D movie, but I was impressed with the Blu-ray 3D. It holds up well even on a smaller screen. For me, seeing the movie on Blu-ray on a nice HD plasma screen is about as good as it gets.

Joseph Kosinski on Tron’s parallels to our lives: The idea of genetic algorithms and quantum teleportation are real concepts currently being researched right now. We met with scientists from CalTech and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) to make sure that the science in our film was accurate. I think that technology can be an incredible tool. We wouldn’t be able to create a movie like this without it. However, it needs to be watched so that it doesn’t interfere with our personal relationships.

Tron: Legacy is out on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD from Disney, April 5th.

It’s only speculation, but if you pay attention to the voice, then you can tell it’s the same used by the MCP (Master Control Program) in the original Tron. Then there’s the line “End of Line” used by the MCP throughout the film. Could we be seeing the villain return in Tron 3 should it happen?

“If we can come up with the right story, then absolutely,” he says of the possible sequel. But he goes on further: “I am currently brainstorming with my team of writers and producers on what the next chapter of our story would be. I think the final scene of Tron: Legacy leaves open some very interesting possibilities. If Quorra can cross over into our world, what other elements from the Grid could do the same?”

What about Cillian Murphy’s uncredited role? Would his character be an antagonist to the Flynn’s? “Yes, that would be fair to assume,” he teased. Even though a sequel hasn’t been officially greenlit, at least the lightcycle wheels are in motion.

Source: Killer Film

The plot, which was based on Radical Publishing’s upcoming graphic novel, is “set in a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and scavengers collect ancient artifacts from the polluted surface below. When one young scavenger finds a crashed spacecraft planet-side, it lead him on a journey filled with romance and adventure.” However, the story now seems to be about “a soldier assigned to patrol a desolate planet who meets a mysterious traveler.”

No word on how much of Monahan’s original screenplay will be kept and no release date.

Source: Collider

Check it out and Disney is releasing Tron and Tron: Legacy on Blu-ray and DVD April 5th.

Source: First Showing

Tron: Legacy

This trailer will also appear on the Tron: Legacy Blu-ray/DVD set.

Beck, a young program who becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution inside the computer world of The Grid. His mission is to free his home and friends from the reign of the villainous Clu 2 and his henchman General Tesler. Beck will be trained by Tron – the greatest warrior the Grid has ever known. Tron will not only teach Beck the fighting skills he needs to challenge this brutal military occupation, but will be a guide and mentor to him as he grows beyond his youthful, impulsive nature into a courageous, powerful leader. Destined to become the new protector of the system, Beck adopts Tron’s persona and becomes the archenemy of Tesler and his oppressive forces.

Thoughts?

From the press release: Sure to light-up fans this Spring, TRON: Legacy provides consumers with the ultimate Hi-Def Blu-ray experience with breathtaking 1080p visuals and superior 7.1 surround sounds that bring to life the visually stunning world of TRON. Taking you further behind the grid, are also in-depth bonus features on the making of the film (i.e., creating the futuristic vehicles and world of TRON, storyline mythologies, actors/characters and more) and the all-new Disney Second Screen interactive experience.

Disney Second Screen transforms the movie watching experience by allowing viewers to explore the story behind the film perfectly synced on a second device, like an iPad™ or laptop, without interrupting their enjoyment of the movie. By simply accessing the Disney Second Screen companion application on their Internet-connected device, consumers are able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with elements including 360-degree vehicle turnarounds, interactive progression reels, and more. Disney Second Screen directions and access codes can be found inside the Blu-ray Disc packaging.Audio syncing is powered by TVPLUS.

Expect a full review of these discs then!

That doesn’t mean the Blu-ray/DVD for Tron: Legacy won’t be worth buying as Collider is also hearing the discs will be “loaded with awesome extras that will expand the story of Tron: Legacy.” We just got a look at the incredible artwork for the release moments ago (here), but we likely won’t hear any specific details for the release soon as it’s still being put together.

Here’s the 5-disc Ultimate Tron Legacy Experience Edition (with glowing discs):

Here’s the 2-disc Blu-ray combo pack:

Here’s the 3D Blu-ray combo pack:

And finally, here’s the 2-movie Collection of Tron and Tron Legacy:

Just awesome. Can’t wait for the official announcement.