We will never live in a world without sequels. In fact, we should expect them. Hollywood is a business and business requires a sustainable series. With TRON: LEGACY proving their is potential in a franchise and FAST AND FURIOUS 6 continuing the success of that series, both of these sequels are likely going to be big hits at the box office.
First up is news out of WonderCon regarding the third TRON film. Director Joseph Kosinski was present to discuss OBLIVION and gave some updates regarding TR3N. Kosinski says that the first draft will be delivered in two weeks and that TR3N is just the code name for the project. He sounds confident that this movie will live up to what fans want:
I think it delivers on the promise that both TRON movies have made. It opens the movie up, in a way that I think is going to give it a much broader appeal. Whereas TRON really, ultimately, in the end, catered most to TRON fans, this idea broadens it some more, in really exciting ways. But, it’s all about the script and making sure that that story is compelling enough to get all of us back together. Those movies are hard to make. It’s a two-and-a-half to three-year journey. So, to go back in there and go back to the Grid, it’s going to have to be a pretty spectacular script. We’ve got a great writer on it, so we’ll see.
I enjoyed TRON: LEGACY and think that now that we have established the new version of the universe it is time to play in that world. LEGACY succeeded in reintroducing the Grid to fans who didn’t remember the original and showed the technology exists to really make the world come alive. I am excited to see if OBLIVION can deliver on Kosinski’s skills as a filmmaker before delving back into TRON.
On the other side of sustained franchises we have FAST AND FURIOUS 7 news. I tolerated the first movie and despised two through four. FAST FIVE was excellent and now FAST AND FURIOUS 6 looks good, keeping Dwayne Johnson in the cast and adding Gina Carano. The sixth film was originally rumored to be filmed back to back with a seventh movie, which was scuttled at the last minute. Now, news comes that the seventh movie may enter production as early as this summer for a release in 2014.
Screen Rant reports that Vin Diesel posted this news on his own Facebook page. The post has since been taken down, but it read:
There was an early screening in LA this week of Fast 6. The crowd reaction was surreal… and their demand for the continuation was powerful… It’s remarkable to think I first embodied this character in 1999… and the evolution continues. P.s. Filming begins this summer in LA, where it all started… talk about a studio in sync with the audience…
That doesn’t mean the movie is a lock, but past box office for the franchise is a good indicator this movie will be a big hit. As long as everyone involved wants to return for a seventh movie, I am sure it will happen.