World of Tron

Tron: Legacy is one of this year's most anticipated movies, featuring Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges back in his classic role as programming genius Kevin Flynn. In celebration of its release, we compiled a few fun facts on all things Tron: Legacy.

By Elisa Osegueda
Joseph Kosinski

Helming Tron: Legacy is first-time feature film director Joseph Kosinski, who proved his unique visionary approach as a commercial director on campaigns such as Halo, Gears of War and Nike.

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Joseph Kosinski

When asked if this feature film met his expectations as his first directorial project, Kosinski said:

"That’s a tough question. It's hard. I've been working on it for three years now and my life has changed a lot just in the course of working on the movie. I had a son during production of the movie, which really made the father-son theme of the movie resonate in a different way."

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Garrett Hedlund

Garrett Hedlund trained in motorcycle riding, hand-to-hand combat, wirework, capoeria and parkour to prepare for the role of extreme sportsman Sam Flynn.

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Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges is the first actor in cinematic history to play opposite a younger version of himself-Clu.

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Effects and Technology

Using a 3D scan of Jeff Bridges, a mold of his face was built and from that a mask was made with 52 holes in it, acting as a template for the facial marker dots tracked by four lipstick cameras attached to a carbon-fiber custom helmet.

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Effects and Technology

Tron: Legacy is the first film to use the Helmet Mounted Camera in live action, allowing the actor to interact with others in the scene.

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Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen saw the original Tron in Wales when he was about twelve years old and became an instant fan. He plays Castor, an adaptable, flamboyant program who runs the Grid's End of the Line Club.

Michael Sheen pictured with Beau Garrett (Gem) at Digital Domain.

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Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen cites many "showmen" as inspirations to creating the role of flamboyant night-club owner Castor--from Mae West to Ziggy Stardust.

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Digital Domain

Founded in 1983, Digital Domain is an Academy Award winning digital production house. Among its 80+ film credits are three features that were awarded the Oscar for visual effects: Titanic, What Dreams May Come and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Conference room at Digital Domain.

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Vehicles

Light cycle design was inspired by the original sketches of Syd Mead, who designed them for Tron in 1982.

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Vehicles

Several of the vehicles in Tron: Legacy were fully built for certain scenes, as opposed to computer-generated, in keeping with director Koinski's vision of blurring the line between CGI and reality.

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Vehicles

Creating light cycles that would form visual units with their riders and still give them room to move was a challenge for Tron: Legacy vehicle designer Daniel Simon and the rest of the vehicle design team.

Light cycle reproduction as seen in Tron: Legacy.

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Vehicles

Vehicles in Tron: Legacy include the sleek light cycle, and the light runner, on the Grid a powerful racing car but in the Outlands a tough off-roader...

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Vehicles

...the Recognizer, a huge U-shaped vehicle that roams the streets looking for wayward programs, Solar Sailers that are flying cargo ships, and Clu's Rectifier battleship, which is three times larger than any aircraft carrier in the real world, holding Clu's entire army.

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Helmets

The helmets worn by the characters in Tron: Legacy were made to be functional in the real world, too. No prop helmets were used.
James Frain

James Frain is no stranger to playing men in service to powerful rulers. He's portrayed the Spanish ambassador Alvaro de la Quadra to Elizabeth I in Elizabeth, Thomas Cromwell to Henry VII in the series The Tudors, and Mott, in service to the vampire king in True Blood.
Sets

In order to give a sense of reality to the world of the Grid, many full sets were built on sound stages, including Flynn's Arcade, Kevin Flynn's safe house, and the End of the Line Club, as well as entire streets which were built on a greater scale than most real city streets.

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Flynn's Arcade

Flynn's Arcade holds a treasure trove of icons for Tron fans. Those with a sharp eye will recognize the Master Control Program desk caddy from the original film, and the table top computer interface.

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Safe House

In Kevin Flynn's safe house, neo-Victorian furniture is featured in the minimalist interior, creating a look that blends the old with the new.

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Light

The use of light permeates the Grid's design, from cutting-edge, light-illuminated fashions to light cycles and light discs.

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2D to 3D Experience

The film was shot in 3D, but in order to give the audience an immersive introduction to the Grid, the opening scenes in the real world were shot in 2D.

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Programs

Programs loyal to Clu wear clothing and drive vehicles lit with oranges, reds, and yellows, whereas the colors of the Grid's other dwellers and surrounding environment are cool whites, blues and silver.

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Programs

A program loyal to Clu.

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Steven Lisberger

Original writer/director Steven Lisberger is a producer for Tron: Legacy, along with Sean Bailey and Jeffrey Silver.

(L-R) Adam Horowitz, Justin Springer and Steven Lisberger at Digital Domain.

Alberto Rodriguez
Steven Lisberger

Lisberger on his role:

"My position is to try to inspire the new Tron team and be there so they have some trajectory from the past into the future. I'm glad it worked out; the next generation embraced what I did 20 years ago. I try to make suggestions. I try not to give orders."

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Bruce Boxleitner

For flashback sequences, Bruce Boxleitner, in his role as Alan Bradley, was transformed into a younger version of himself, thanks to the efforts of hair/makeup and CG magicians.

Beau Garrett and Bruce Boxleitner at Digital Domain.

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Bruce Boxleitner

Boxleitner on his character Alan Bradley:

"Being Al Bradley again after 27 years was exciting. What is this man now? What happened to him in the interim? I was fascinated by these wonderful writers and where they had taken these characters."

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Joe Kosinski

Joe Kosinski playing a Tron: Legacy inspired video game at Digital Domain.

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Beau Garrett

The extremely high and angled heels of the Sirens' costumes presented a challenge to Beau Garrett, who could be seen practicing walking on the stairs of the End of Line Club set prior to filming her scenes.

(L-R) Justin Springer, Beau Garrett and Garrett Hedlund.

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Sirens

The Siren actresses worked with a choreographer to coordinate and synchronize their walks and gestures. It took a team of hair and makeup artists, along with two dressers for the "suiting." In all, it took about three hours to transform the actresses into their characters.

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Cast & Crew

Director Kosinski enlisted a team of artists who were highly regarded in their fields: vehicle and design architects, industrial engineers, graphic designers, and illustrators.

(L-R) James Frain, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen, Steven Lisberger, Jeff Bridges, Sean Bailey, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Joe Kosinski, Justin Springer, Eric Barba.

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Cast & Crew

"The whole way we make movies is changing, and I'm convinced Joe [Kosinski] is one of the leaders of that revolution." - Sean Bailey, producer.

(L-R) Jeff Bridges, Sean Bailey, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Joe Kosinski, Justin Springer.

Alberto Rodriguez
Cast & Crew

Tron: Legacy was written by Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (TV's "Lost") who focused on rich character development and its relatable key theme of a son looking for his father.

Jeff Bridges and Garrett Hedlund.

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Olivia Wilde

When asked if she would wear the wig again, Olivia Wilde said:

"I would. I think it'll become a style. I think it's going to inspire people."

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Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde relished her role and its physicality, but having trained in flat shoes prior to costuming, she had to re-train for Quorra's four-inch heels.

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Cast & Director

Bridges and Wilde on signing on for a sequel:

Bridges: "I guess that depends if it’s a hit, you know."

Wilde: "There are so many stories you could tell in the Tron world. So if people like it after they go see it and we get a chance to do it, it would be [great].

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Light Disc

The light disc represents the power source, essence and memory bank of every program. Used as a weapon it returns to its user like a boomerang.
The light discs consist of 134 LED lights, are radio controlled and attached to the light suits with a magnet.

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National Academy of Sciences

Filmmakers reached out to the National Academy of Sciences to advise them on veracity to make sure laws of science supported the ideas and cocepts in the film--even if the means to accomplish the ideas do not exist yet.

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Daft Punk

Grammy award winning French electronic duo Daft Punk scored Tron: Legacy, composing 24 tracks in all. They are also seen in a brief cameo.

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3D Technology

The 3D technology in Tron: Legacy was developed post Avatar and represents the most advanced existing in the world today (with the same 3D cameras that Cameron utilized in Avatar deployed here for Tron: Legacy).

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- Tron: Legacy Premieres