Disney’s TRON: LEGACY Hits The Grid This Tuesday April 5th

As big fans of the film (see review HERE), WAMG was part of the Virtual Roundtable Press Junket for the Disney 3D, Blu-ray and DVD release of TRON LEGACY with director, Joseph Kosinski.

Kosinski is a multidimensional talent whose uncompromising visual style and dynamic approach to the filmmaking craft has quickly made a mark in the filmmaking zeitgeist. Kosinski has directed high-end commercials, including award-winning campaigns for XBOX ‘Gears of War’ and ‘Halo,’ Sony PlayStation, as well as Lincoln, Hummer and Chevrolet. His work represents a fusion of skills stemming from a background in architecture, product design, engineering, and music.

Kosinski received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Stanford University before graduating from Columbia University with a master’s degree in architecture.

Q: How are you planning to expand the TRON Universe?
A (Joseph Kosinski): Disney is currently developing an animated series that takes place in the Tron universe before the events of Tron Legacy. I am currently brainstorming with my team of writers and producers on what the next chapter of our story would be.

Q: Anything not realized in TRON: LEGACY?
A: Sam was initially supposed to battle four sentries on his way to get his father’s disc. Unfortunately we ran out of time and weren’t able to shoot that sequence.

Q: On the subject of things you weren’t able to put into the movie, are there plans to release a director’s cut?
A: Almost everything I shot is included in the movie, there is very little on the cutting room floor.

Q: How will the film work on normal tv?
A: I find that the quality of movie theaters out there can vary widely, particularly for a 3D movie. For me, seeing the movie on Blu-ray on a nice HD plasma screen is about as good as it gets.

Q: How did you feel to see it on the big screen? What were the challenges of shooting a 3D film?
A: It was a 3.5 year process so it took me awhile to realize it was actually finished. I am very proud of the film and particularly all of the thousands of people who worked on it. 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 are 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.

Q: Cillian Murphy only briefly appears in TRON: LEGACY. Would it be fair to assume his appearance here is only a primer for possible involvement in a potential sequel?
A: Yes that would be fair to assume.

Q: A 3rd TRON film already in the works?
A: 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?

Q: What aspect of the upcoming TL Blu-rays are you the happiest with?
A: Joseph Kosinski: After TL 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.

Q: The IMAX presentation was flawless and amazing. Can you explain working in this format?
A: Joseph Kosinski: Because they are so precisely calibrated and maintained, 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.

Q: Some viewers criticized CLU’s face – they say it was unreal, a little bit fake – do you think there is some truth in this criticism?
A: 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. 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.

 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.

Q: You’re also developing the Black Hole remake. What can you tell us about that?
A: We are currently working on a script with Travis Beachem. I am very excited about the potential of this project.

Q: Daft Punk created an amazing score, but were you concerned that the score would become such a character in itself that it would distract the audience away from the story?
A: No, but I was very pleased to see that the soundtrack is one of the bestselling in years.

Q: Could you define what the TRON: LEGACY means to you in one sentence?
A: The film is about finding human connection in an increasingly digital world.

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