If Tron 3 were to ever happen, its star would want to see it as a virtual reality movie.
When talking about the media that’s influenced the current VR landscape, there are a handful of names that can’t go unmentioned. Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One is one such source, but it’s impossible not to acknowledge Tron, the iconic 1982 sci-fi movie in which people entered a game world to compete in virtual sports.
Rumors about a third film in the franchise have been rampant since the release of 2010’s Tron: Legacy. Actor Jeff Bridges, who starred in both movies, was recently asked about those rumors by Entertainment Weekly. His reply will surely entice VR fans.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard those rumors too,” Bridges said. “I hope that happens. I think Joe’s [Kosinski, Tron: Legacy director] got the script and everything, you know. Yeah, I don’t know that I’m supposed to talk about it or not. I don’t know. It should be the first virtual reality movie, you know? Wouldn’t that be cool… to see Tron in that world?”
Now there’s a thought. Could a Disney-helmed third film in the series really be a big budget, feature-length VR movie? If there’s any franchise that would be a perfect fit for it, it’s this one, but there’s still so much work to be done to make VR mainstream and VR movies full engaging experiences that it has to be some way off. Would it be a 360 degree live action film or a fully VR experience? Would viewers be able to interact with the world around them or would they be simply onlookers?
Even a few years into the industry, Tron’s influence can be felt coursing through the VR scene. CCP Games’ upcoming Sparc, for example, is its own VR eSport that owes a lot to Tron’s basic concept and even its neo-retro visual aesthetic. That’s why we’d love to see the original inspiration embrace VR in this way.
