Production has come to a halt for the upcoming third Tron film due to the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Joachim Rønning, the director of Tron: Ares, took to social media to confirm the news as he expressed his disappointment. Let’s take a look at the controversy behind the upcoming Tron movie’s production and how the film industry’s labor disputes and strikes have upset the director.
Tron 3 director confirms production shutdown, controversy explained
Director Joachim Rønning is best known for his work on Disney films like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He was all set to make a name for himself again with the upcoming Tron: Ares until the ongoing Hollywood strikes popped up.
The Tron 3 director announced through an Instagram post that the production had come to an abrupt halt due to the strikes. The film was all set to begin principal photography this week. However, over 150 crew members have been laid off indefinitely.
The decision is a result of the lack of progress in negotiations between the industry’s major players. Therefore, the director has openly called for AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA to not leave the table until they reach a proper deal.
Current state of the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA, and WGA strikes
For the past few months, the entertainment industry in the United States has seen a major upheaval like never before. Two powerful unions, the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA, are engaged in strikes against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The issues at the heart of these strikes include fair compensation, improved working conditions, and a more equitable share of profits for writers and actors. These labor disputes have already caused a lot of disruptions across various film and television productions like Tron: Ares.
The WGA recently crossed the 100-day mark in its strike, while SAG-AFTRA‘s strike is entering its second month. Despite negotiations between the unions and the AMPTP, progress has been slow, leaving many projects in a state of uncertainty.
Joachim Rønning’s open call to rush the negotiation process shows the urgency of the situation. The industry desperately needs a resolution so that life can revert back to normalcy for many creatives.
All details about the upcoming Tron: Ares
The original Tron from 1982 and Tron: Legacy from 2010 hold a special place among many fans’ hearts. The franchise is finally about to get its third film, Tron: Ares, directed by Joachim Rønning. The film stars Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, and Jodie Turner-Smith.
Like the director has pointed out in his Instagram post, the core of Tron: Ares revolves around artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for humanity. This is ironic considering that the strikes which have stopped the production are essentially against AI replacing human writers.
Oh, you guys want to strike?
We'll just replace you with AI …
🔥🔥🔥“Disney has created a task force to study artificial intelligence and how it can be applied even as Hollywood writers and actors are on strike to limit the use of the technology.” pic.twitter.com/zXxahDcHze
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) August 8, 2023
Apart from the strikes bringing the production to a halt, fans haven’t really been happy about other things. Among their concerns is Jared Leto, who is fresh off the Morbius disaster.
Others want Tron: Legacy’s director Joseph Kosinski to return and make the third instalment. Notably, Kosinski had great success recently with the record-breaking Tom Cruise film, Top Gun: Maverick.
Jared Leto stars as Ares, a program from Tron’s digital grid who enters our reality, which is the opposite of what happens in Tron: Legacy. Scheduled for a 2025 release, the indefinite delay by the strikes has made its premiere date uncertain.
You can share questions about Tron: Ares production shutdown over the strikes. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!
