I write this now with a couple of pints in me. Keeping that in mind, when I first saw the news about a Tron lead being cast (and holy shit, they’re just calling it Tron now? No numerical anywhere?), I got excited. Super excited.
See, I thought it was Garrett Dillahunt.
Turns out it’s Garrett Hedlund. You know, the weenie brother from Four Brothers. He was in Friday Night Lights. It’s okay if you’re not familiar with him – he’s so unknown that Disney, in their press release that got printed in the Hollywood Reporter, decided to tell us how good the dude is that they listed people who just MET on the picture* and who he ‘beat’:
Disney cast a wide net as it searched for the role that, because of the title, generated a lot of interest. Such potential leads as Ryan Gosling and Chris Pine met on the project, while Michael Stahl-David (“Cloverfield’) was one of the those that screen-tested.
That just seems a little unkind to Michael Stahl-David, if you ask me.
Hedlund will play the lead in the sequel, which will carry the same name as the original (your DVD alphabetizing system already weeps). He’ll be playing pretty much the same role that Flynn played – a guy who gets sucked into a computer world – although Flynn’s IN the movie as well. I have to admit that having the sequel sound like a remake isn’t making me too psyched, but I’m holding out hope that this one is good.
By the way, I’m not trying to run down Hedlund. I like Four Brothers and Friday Night Lights. I just think it’s funny the way we’re being sold Hedlund as the Next Big Thing. He’s probably going to be great.
* for those not in the know: meeting on a picture really isn’t as big a deal as you might think. It’s a sign of basic interest, but it’s not even a real first date. If I told you some of the actors and directors who have ‘met’ on projects that ended up becoming films starring and directing by other people, you might shit your pants at the idea of a very weird alternate universe. And when you’re hot enough, or up and coming enough, you might meet on EVERYTHING in development.