Fans were given a treat at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.  Disney released a teaser trailer to Tron Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 cult classic Tron, due out in 2010.  The film stars Jeff Bridges, reprising his role as original hero Kevin Flynn, with Bruce Boxleitner also returning in his roles as Flynn’s friend Alan Bradley and Bradley’s program, Tron.  The new film also stars Garrett Hedlund as Flynn’s adult son Sam, Michael Sheen as the villain, and Olivia Wilde as Sam’s companion.  Original film director Steven Lisberger returns as a producer, while Joseph Kosinski directs.  And according to the trailer, the film will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D.

The fact that a sequel to Tron is being made probably doesn’t come as a surprise to a lot of its fans.  The 1982 film, featuring Bridges as Flynn, zapped into a computer world while searching for evidence of his video game ideas being stolen, teaming up with his friend Alan’s program Tron (in the movie, programs resemble their “Users”, though often have slightly different personalities) to free it from the villainous Master Control Program, made its mark on the film industry as being the first film to extensively use computer graphics as part of its special effects.  Everything from the background to the vehicles (in particular the Light Cycles, futuristic motorcycles that left a wall of light trailing behind them) to the glowing armor worn by the programs was done using early CGI, at a time when computers were just starting to become a regular part of society, setting the stage for future films.  Star Jeff Bridges would go on to become one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, starring in such films as The Fabulous Baker Boys, Starman, The Big Lebowski and, most recently, Iron Man.  Bruce Boxleitner, starring in a variety of television and film roles, would gain later sci-fi fame as Captain John Sheridan on the hit TV series, Babylon 5.

Despite the intriguing story and the breakthrough special effects, Tron received mixed reviews from critics.  Variety criticized the film’s story, saying it fell short in getting viewers hooked despite the visual effects.  The New York Times were especially harsh on the effects, saying that they were “loud, bright and empty,” and “all the movie has to offer.”  On the other hand, popular critic Roger Ebert gave Tron four stars and was highly positive of it, using it as the opening piece for his first annual Overlooked Film Festival.  The film went on to make $33 million at the North American box office, making it a moderate success for its $17 million budget.  Even worse, it wasn’t given an Oscar nomination for special effects, the Academy claiming the filmmakers “cheated” when they used computers, though it did receive a nomination for Best Costume Design.  It did get some notice in 1997 when Ken Perlin won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for his invention of the Perlin noise for the movie.

In the years since, Tron has gained a cult status among film fans, in particular those of sci-fi.  This has been enough to generate interest in the possibility of a sequel.  Speculation began to generate about talks of a sequel or even a remake to be made, somewhat appropriately, by CG-animation studio Pixar.  Further rumors, many of them false, circulated further thanks to reports being made by numerous websites.  The closest thing to a sequel came when Tron 2.0, a PC video game for Windows and Macintosh, was released in 2003.  In the first-person shooter, players play Jet Bradley, Alan’s son, who enters the computer world to fight a virus.  Despite high reviews, the game failed to gain high sales, but has gained a comic book sequel, Tron: The Ghost in the Machine, published by Slave Labor Graphics.

The speculation finally came to a head in 2005, when Disney announced that it had hired writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal to write the script.  Originally titled TR2N, a surprise preliminary trailer was shown at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, featuring a Light Cycle race and an appearance by Jeff Bridges.  Filming officially began in April, 2009, and Disney later announced the film’s 2010 release and it’s plot, in which Flynn’s son Sam follows his father into the computer world, which has become a more dangerous place, to fight a new threat alongside Tron.

It’s too early to tell whether or not Tron Legacy will be successful.  Fan interest still remains for the franchise, despite the twenty-eight year gap between the films, given the rumors that rose up in regards to the possibility of a sequel.  Judging by the teaser, it certainly looks impressive, with improved visual effects for the backgrounds, costumes and the Light Cycles, reflecting how the computer world seems to change with the advances in technology in the real world.  But if the original film’s cult following and Hollywood’s penchant for special effects blockbusters, and Disney’s own recent success with live action films such the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, are any indication, then the film’s chances are pretty good.