As the man behind the camera in current megahitTop Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski knows a thing or two about what it takes to make a beloved movie franchise work. However, his experience wasn’t enough to convince Disney to greenlight a thirdTronmovie, especially in the light of the guaranteed success provided by Marvel andStar Wars.
Released in 2010,Tron: Legacywas Kosinski’s breakout film and also his first, as its unique visual style helped it become a modern cult classic much in the same way the original did since its 1982 premiere. Regardless of that, movies that barely turn a profit are rarely the highest priority for studios, something that Kosinski believes played a huge role in hissecondTronfilmnever materializing after the company had already consolidated its grasp over cinema’s biggest money-making machines.
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This story comes out of an in-depth interview by Vulture, where Kosinski goes over most of his work and claims he almost got booked for hisTron: Ascension. “I really tried. I got close in 2015, and Disney pulled the plug on it. I hadn’t built anything, but I had the whole movie storyboarded and written,” he said, noting that the conditions were much different than forLegacy. The director points out that when hisTronmovie was made, Disney owned neither Marvel norStar Wars, and he believes it was those two properties that caused the company to funnel their investments towards those blockbusters, although he understands that was the right decision from a business standpoint.
Kosinski also spoke in disbelief at getting Disney’s approval to make aTron: Legacyin the first place. The sequel was a $150 million film shot by a novice director with a first-time production designer, inexperienced actors, and music made by a couple of French guys dressed as robots - the very Daft Punk duo he had listened to since college. The director also took time tocompliment Miles Teller, with who he’s worked on two of his films beforeTop Gun: Maverick,Only the BraveandSpiderhead.
Naturally, Kosinski also hadplenty ofTop Gun: Maverickmoments he lovedto talk about, including getting to use Tom Cruise’s signature running style for his own benefit, though the two are hardly strangers after working together on 2013’sOblivion, one of Cruise’s best sci-fi films. On the bright side of things, Kosinski’s stock is likely to rise after receiving so much praise over his handling of theTop Gunsequel, so maybe he might just get the chance to make anotherTronmovie further down the line.
In spite of that, Kosinski’s assessment of the movie industry in 2015 still holds up today, as the number of blockbuster films not featuring superheroes orStar Warscontinues to decline and the budget bracket formerlyoccupied by the likes ofTop Gunin 1986 also shrinks.
Tron: Legacyis now available on Disney Plus.
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