This week, Disney was supposed to start filming in Vancouver, Canada, on the third entry in the “Tron” franchise, called “Tron: Ares”, which will star Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Sarah Desjardins, Cameron Monaghan and Greta Lee.

The “Tron” franchise began back in the 1980s and told the story of a software programmer called Kevin, who is dragged into the virtual world where he is pitted against malevolent software. He takes the help of Tron, a security programme that helps him defeat the villain.  The film was followed up in 2010 by a sequel called “Tron: Legacy”, which told the story of Sam, who misses his father, a virtual world designer, and enters a virtual space that has become much more dangerous than his father intended. Now, both father and son embark upon a life-and-death journey.  The new film will tell the story of Ares, who is a computer program, on a journey from the digital world to that of humans.

Joachim Rønning is going to be directing the third film, and he has taken to social media to share his frustration at the ongoing writer’s and actor’s strike, explaining how over a hundred and fifty people have been laid off due to filming being delayed.

The absolute best moments of my career have been watching an actor perform in front of the camera – taking the scene and the text to a higher place. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with amazing talent. It’s a huge part of why I’m a filmmaker. However, like myself, being an actor or a writer, means you’re a freelancer. And I can tell you, the constant uncertainty is not for everyone. To that end I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for a better safety net.

Many of my best friends are writers. Everything starts with the story. Everything starts with you. That must continue. And that means that AI needs to be regulated. There is no doubt about the threat the technology poses to all creatives.

Today was supposed to be our first day of principal photography on TRON: ARES (a movie subsequently about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human). Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone.

The AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA need to speed up the negotiating process and not leave the table until it’s done. This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating. It’s time for diplomacy so we can get back to work – under conditions that are fair to everybody

Later this week, the writer’s actors union and the studios are set to meet to discuss an offer made to the writer’s union last week, which, if accepted, could end the writer’s strike.  Hopefully, the two sides can agree and return to work.

However, as of yet, the actors and studios haven’t sat around a table together since the strike started last month; while they might be waiting to sort the writer’s situation out, hopefully, the actors union and studios are still communicating to get back together so filming can resume on projects like “Tron: Ares”.

The new film is going to be executive produced by Sean Bailey and Sam Dickerman. It’s going to be produced by Justin Springer (Tron: Legacy), Leto and his Paradox partner Emma Ludbrook, and Jeffrey Silver.

Both “Tron” movies and the animated series are available to stream on Disney+ now.

Are you looking forward to the return of “Tron”?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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