Joseph Kosinski Says The 'Tron 3' Idea Is Akin To The Series' Own 'Empire Strikes Back'

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times. "If the idea is good enough, we'll do it." It's the tried and true response from Hollywood filmmakers when asked about a potential sequel to a popular film and the implications are two fold. First, it implies the first film was made without an idea for a sequel, which is probably why it was good in the first place. Second, it means they have no idea what that sequel could be.

In the case of Tron 3, which is the title we're using for the sequel to Tron: Legacy, there is an idea. Screenwriter Jesse Wigutow is writing it and star Garret Hedlund is expecting to come back. If that happens, he'll return under the eye of Legacy director Joseph Kosinski. Kosinski, the director of the upcoming Tom Cruise film Oblivion, recently spoke about the idea for Tron 3 and said "it would have to be our Empire Strikes Back for me to come back and for me to pull the whole team back together. I think we do have that idea." What could that idea be? He didn't say, but he hinted at a few things and we can speculate together after the jump.

Kosinski spoke to Collider about the currently-in-progress sequel:

Well the only reason to go back, for me and I think for anyone involved would be if we could do something truly spectacular.  We've been talking about it for a couple years and there's always been this idea, a big idea, in the back of my head that we've been talking about.  The idea itself, the notion of what the next Tron could be, is exciting enough that it would be worth going back to do it.  Obviously we hinted some things at the end of Legacy, it's kind of there for people to see what that potential is. So we just want to make sure that we have a script that delivers on that promise on an epic scale.

He continues:

I've said it would have to be our Empire Strikes Back for me to come back and for me to pull the whole team back together.  I think we do have that idea.  We do have the idea that feels big and really blows the doors off this franchise.  It's hinted at promises of something for two movies now, for thirty years, so it's time to deliver on that.  But the script's got to be at a level that makes it worth going back for, because it's a lot of work to make a movie like this and it's a multi-year project.  So we've got our writer Jesse Wigutow on it right now writing, and fingers crossed if it all comes together, as we hope it will, there could be another Tron in the next few years, and it's going to be awesome.

The key phrase there is that the franchise has "hinted at promises of something for two movies now, for thirty years, so it's time to deliver on that." He also said  "we hinted at some things at the end of Legacy, it's kind of there for people to see what that potential is."

Could it be that the world of Tron will be moving out of Tron and into the real world? The passage of Quorra out of the game and into reality certainly hints at that.

Kosinski spoke about more in the interview too, including that he'd like to redesign everything for the film and not simply reuse assets. He also said he'd love Daft Punk to return, but of course it'll be all about their schedule.

Finally, he was asked if he'd move onto Tron 3 after Oblivion was finished and released:

There is certainly a chance, like I said; we're writing the script now.  Sometimes with these things all the pieces fall into place.  I mean, we've been talking about this for years and we don't have the script now, but sometimes things fall into place very quickly, and if everything lines up it could happen.  That's all I can say, it's too early.

Again, the key phrase is "too early." There's a chance Wigutow's script won't live up to this "Empire Strikes Back" size idea and Disney won't put up the funding. We'll certainly know more as we get closer to the release of Kosinski's sophomore film, Oblivion.

What idea do you think Tron has been teasing for 30 years?