Disney+ has dashed the hopes of a Tron television series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series was to be written by the Oscar-winning John Ridley, who is most known for writing the Best Picture-winning 12 Years a Slave.
According to Slash Film, the Tron show was to be reported last year at the D23 Expo, however, these plans were corrected just before the event. Ridley is said to have worked for several months on the show.
Tron initially released in 1982 and was written and directed by Steven Lisberger. The film starred Jeff Bridges as a computer programmer who is transported inside a digital world and needs to interact with programs to escape. The film became a cult classic and spawned the sequel Tron: Legacy, directed by Joseph Kosinski, in 2010.
This new series was to be part of Disney+’s ever expanding catalogue. Disney+ currently has over 50 scripted shows and 50 unscripted shows in development in an attempt to remain competitive with other established services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. However, the service appears to be struggling with finding its place in the sea of options available to consumers. Disney+’s largest draw so far is their “family-friendly” content due to the service being comprised of Disney’s animated properties.
Alongside the Tron series, Disney+ has also cancelled the upcoming scripted comedy Muppets Live Another Day from Adam Horowitz, Eddy Kitsis, and Josh Gad as well as Book of Enchantment by Michael Seitzman. This struggle to create a definitive brand image for the service is a sign of Disney+’s growing pains. This is especially apparent in Simon, which was originally slated for Disney+, but was moved to Hulu after being deemed too mature for the service. Disney+ still isn’t sure what it wants to be. however Bog Iger,, Disney’s former CEO and now executive chairman, is attempting to streamline the service by trimming the extensive planned catalogue.
Though Tron fans make be left in the dark regarding a live-action television series, a third film for the series is currently in development starring Jared Leto. However, the status of this project is unknown.