For the past six days or so, TRON fans around the world have been dissecting those 23 minutes of footage that they saw last Thursday on TRON Night. As they try to determine whether this Joseph Kosinski film will actually be a worthy follow-up to the 1982 original.
But me? I prefer to get my info straight from the source. So this past Saturday, I dropped by the Lightspeed Fine Art booth at Long Beach Comic Con and had a chat with Tron himself, Bruce Boxleitner. Who – given that he has actually appeared in both the original and the sequel – is in a better position than most when it comes to determining how "TRON" stacks up against "TRON Legacy."
Photo by Noe Valladolid
And what's the verdict? "(TRON Legacy) is a good movie even if you've never seen (the original) TRON. It stands alone," Boxleitner proclaimed.
That said, Bruce did suggest that it was important that TRON fans do turn out for this Joseph Kosinski film. For if "TRON Legacy" really is going to be the launch of a brand-new franchise at Walt Disney Studios, the execs there (before they turn the key on that "TRON Legacy" sequel that's allegedly already in development) are going to need to see some huge ticket sales for this film's opening weekend.
(L to R) Bruce Boxleitner & Garrett Hedlund in "TRON Legacy."
Copyright 2010 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Speaking of the "legacy" aspect of "TRON Legacy," Boxleitner had some very nice things to say about Garrett Hedlund, the 26 year-old actor who's now assumed the lead role in this Disney sci-fi franchise.
Calling Hedlund sort of his " … surrogate son," Bruce joked about the conversation that he had with Garrett just as production of "TRON Legacy" was getting underway. "I told him that I know that this film is called 'TRON Legacy.' But TRON is also MY legacy, Garrett. So don't screw it up."
Photo by Noe Valladolid
But based on what he's seen so far, Boxleitner believes that Hedlund did do a great job with "TRON Legacy." More to the point, Bruce is very pleased with the way Disney has been marketing this new movie. Take – for example – how the "TRON Legacy" poster …
Copyright 2010 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
… echoes the image that was used to market the original "TRON" back in 1982.
Copyright 1982 Walt Disney Productions
All rights reserved
Which shows (to Boxleitner's way of thinking, anyway) that – while "TRON Legacy" is a movie that can stand on its own – it still has lots of connective tissue when it comes to that groundbreaking original film.
And speaking of posters, Bruce signed a number of "TRON" & "TRON Legacy" posters during his stint in the Lightspeed Fine Art booth at this year's Long Beach Comic Con. And if you'd like to get your hands on one of these collectibles … Well, you might want to consider dropping by the Lightspeed Fine Art website. Which already has an amazing selection of original art that features the stars & scenes from your favorite science fiction movies and television series.
Your thoughts?