Jay West drops by the Hero Complex today with dispatches from his ongoing odyssey as a "Tron" fan. Over the past few years there's been a lot of excitement building for the return of "Tron" and West has been there throughout, watching the glow of the light cycles brighten on the horizon. West also reviewed the new video game based on "Avatar" for the Hero Complex, a piece that is stirring up some vigorous debate in the comments section. 

"Greetings Programs...."

Spike TV Channel staged its annual video game award bash this past weekend at the L.A. Live complex and the big reveal of the night was the world premiere of "Tron: Evolution," the tie-in game for "Tron: Legacy," which is easily one of the most anticipated films of 2010.

Riding high on the buzz from the past two editions of Comic-Con International and Disney's D23 Convention the Dec. 17, 2010, film is the sequel to the groundbreaking 1982 classic "Tron," which was a prescient melding of cinema and gaming. That's created considerable pressure on the makers of the tie-in video game to create something truly special for this 21st century revisitation of the franchise.

This unveiling came as the audience first was treated to footage of two video game warriors engaged in a taut, light-cycle competition displayed on sprawling LED backdrop to the show's stage. This footage was previously shown at the 2008 Comic-Con in San Diego during the close of the Walt Disney Pictures panel and promptly achieved cult status with the 5,000 people in attendance and the many, many more who would see it later on the Internet. At that first public showing, it took just a heartbeat or two before the audience realized what it was watching and there was a surge in cheers and wild applause. Within minutes,  websites went ablaze with word that a new "Tron" was in the works (and it was later announced that they had in fact played an influential role in Disney's final go-ahead decision on the sequel).

At this past Comic-Con, Disney had something different up its sleeve. There was an excellent panel (which included concept artwork and test footage of an actor doing acrobatic spins while throwing a Tron warrior disc) but Disney, in keeping with the theme of the sequel's story line, also launched a "search for Kevin Flynn" scavenger hunt. Participants in the quest could use black lights to illuminate randomly posted posters throughout San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter to acquire coordinates to a secret location. This location was ultimately revealed to be a re-creation of Flynn's arcade from the original "Tron" movie.

The arcade had classics (Pac-Man, Berzerk, Defender, Missile Command and Joust among them) but the true stunner were the presence of playable Space Paranoids arcade games (fictional arcade games designed by the Kevin Flynn character and seen in the original film, but never manufactured as actual arcade games) were present and playable. The original, highly popular Bally/Midway 1982 "Tron" arcade game was at the back of the arcade's wall -- and at one point, it was moved forward to reveal a doorway. That doorway opened to reveal a darkened tunnel with illuminated light-cycle concept artwork lining the walls. Follow the path back and, as you turned a corner, you encountered a full-size replica of the new design for the "Tron Legacy" light cycle. It was a stunning experience for fans. A new track created by Daft Punk (the French DJ duo who has created music for the new film) also debuted upon the reveal of the light cycle. This event created strong word of mouth and was hearkened by many in attendance as the highlight of the entire Comic-Con convention. I was lucky enough to be there, here's some video I shot...

The life-size light cycle also made an appearance at D23 and then again at the Spike VGA show when Olivia Wilde, the "House" actress who is playing Quorra  in "Tron: Legacy" was revealed behind a portion of the stage's LED backdrop (and here too, Daft Punk's track echoed as digital-spirit accompaniment). Wilde spoke of the new "Tron" game as a "key to unlocking the film's mythology." She introduced the trailer -- which includes situations and events that take place just before those in the upcoming film.

The game trailer relays classic "Tron" action with new nuances and enhancements. Notably, there's a new villain introduced; the mysterious, caped figure speaks of incurring total wrath and destruction -- and also shows that he is very capable of wielding a light disc. The trailer also shows other video-game warriors engaged in intense battle and a newly designed "recognizer" craft soars over -- and finally, two video game warriors face off in a deadly disc battle. The trailer concludes with the words "Enter the Grid Holiday 2010" -- suggesting, no surprise, that the release date is pegged to the film. The current word is that it will be lined up to be a cross-platform game -- for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and is being developed by Propaganda Games, makers of "Turok"and  "Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned."

Suffice to say -- there's huge anticipation surrounding the return of "Tron" in both movie and game form. The original film represented a special moment in Hollywood and video games -- and ultimately pioneered cinema special effects in its use of CGI in film. Many in the fanboy community have already declared 2010 to be "The Year of Tron." For those of you in the Los Angeles area who'd like to sync up with that celebration, check out the electronic billboard at the intersection of Santa Monica and Glendon in Westwood -- a new "Tron: Legacy" image will be revealed monthly at this location leading up to the big day in December 2010.

"End of line..."

- Jay West

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Early images from one highly anticipated film ("Tron Legacy"), and one somewhat anticipated film ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice") were introduced today, and both look eye-poppingly interesting.

 
Light cycles!  Nice.  There are more images from "Tron" and "Sorcerer's" after the jump.

Welcome to today's edition of Everyday Hero, your roundup of hand-picked headlines from across the fanboy universe ...

A WEDDING GOWN WITH "FRINGE": Ah,  weddings always make me cry ... especially when the groom is a dead counter-agent involved in a shadowy global conspiracy. I'm a big fan of "Fringe" and its star, Anna Torv, and apparently so is coy costar Mark Valley (whose name, by the way, keeps popping up when people discuss the film adaptation of certain Marvel Comics icon). Here's the report from gossip writer Kristin Dos Santos: "A rep for Anna Torv has just confirmed to us that the 'Fringe' star secretly married Mark Valley, who plays her love interest on the Fox show. OK, 'love interest' may be simplifying things just a wee bit. Mark plays her ex-lover John Scott, who turned out to be evil and died, but then came back to the series through hallucinations. (Just another day in the world of J.J. Abrams.) So when and where did the wedding ceremony go down? And more importantly, who even knew these two were together at all? Though Torv's rep declined to provide further details, sources on the show tell us the small, private ceremony took place over the holidays. The pair has been quietly dating for several months -- so quietly that many of their fellow castmates and crew members weren't aware they were together. Neither was the press. On Thursday, Valley took part in a conference call with reporters, and talked about his new bride (without referencing her as such). 'I think [Anna] is just a fantastic actor and I really like working with her,' he said. 'She's my favorite on the show, to be honest with you.' (We should hope so!)" [E! Entertainment]

IF YOU PLAN TO E-MAIL WORF... : I read this story saying that Klingon is now the "world's most widely spoken fictional language" but ... uh ... is it really fictional if people actually speak it? I mean, is it less real than pig Latin? I'm just saying. Anyway, the story is about a computer keyboard for Klingon speakers. I'm absolutely serious, and so is reporter Alex Fletcher's story: "Keyboards featuring the letters from the Klingon alphabet have gone on sale in Britain. Designed for Star Trek fans who have learned to speak and write in the alien language, they are priced £43.99. Developed into a full language by Marc Okrand, Klingonese was first devised by actor James Doohan for 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.' 'The Klingon keyboard is the first step in providing PC input devices for all Federation cultures and will aid communications between Earth and other cultures within the Federation that fall outside the domain of Starfleet command,' said Cherry Electrical Products' Michael Groom. 'Of course, this keyboard demonstrates our capability to deliver custom keyboard designs, keycaps and layouts -- whether on this planet or elsewhere in the universe.' It is reportedly the most widely spoken fictional language in the world, and texts such as the Bible and the works of Shakespeare have been translated into the language." [Digital Spy]  ALSO: For great moments in the Klingon language -- such as Frasier Crane's speech in Klingon -- check out the video at the very bottom of this post ...

VIVE LE POTTER!: The Associated Press reports that "Harry Potter" is all the rage in Paris. "France paid homage to the author behind fiction’s most famous boy magician by inducting 'Harry Potter' series author J.K. Rowling into the country’s prestigious Legion of Honor on Tuesday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy bestowed Rowling with the honorary title of knight in the legion during a ceremony in a gilded hall in the Elysee presidential palace. The British writer leapt to worldwide fame with the 1997 publication of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,' the first of her mega-hit seven-part series. The books have sold more than 400 million copies and been translated into 67 languages, including French. In 2003, even before it was translated into French, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' — the fifth book in the series — became the first book in English ever to top the French bestsellers list. Created by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century, the Legion of Honor is France’s elite national merit society. Although foreigners cannot be officially inducted, they are routinely made honorary recipients." [AP]

JOHN CARPENTER, INSTITUTIONALIZED: Here's a short blurb from the trades about a horror icon's next project: "Director John Carpenter is back, signing on to direct ghost story 'The Ward' for indie Echo Lake. Amber Heard ('Pineapple Express') will star as a haunted woman in a mental institution. Carpenter hasn't directed a feature since 'Ghosts of Mars' in 2001; 'The Informers,' starring Heard and helmed by Gregor Jordan, bowed in Sundance. [Variety]

"TRON" AS VIDEO GAME: Gaming blogger Ben Fritz has a good-news/bad-news update about the making of a video game to complement the big "Tron" revival that is start to ramp up: "Disney Interactive Studios is starting work on a new 'Tron' game at the same time it's joining the long list of companies laying off staff and consolidating development studios. A spokesperson declined to comment, but sources tell me DIS is talking to developers about a 'Tron' game that will be tied to 'TR2N,' the film sequel that its sibling studio is producing. The movie, which will star Jeff Bridges, Garret Hedlund and Olivia Wilde and be directed by Joseph Kosinski, is tentatively scheduled for 2011, which is when we can expect to see the game too. This is, of course, a no-brainer. 'Tron' was a movie about video games that spawned several successful arcade games (classics of my youth), as well as a sequel in 2003. So with a new movie coming out, what were the odds Disney was not going to do a new video game?  Nonetheless, it's exciting news to have a full-fledged new Tron coming. And it's good news that the movie is more than two years out (I'll go out on a limb and say Disney won't release it in the winter), since that means the game will have a solid amount of production time.  But it's not all light cycles and ricocheting discs at Disney Interactive. The media conglomerate's video game arm laid off almost 30 people at its Propaganda Games studio in Vancouver, maker of last year's fairly well received (I thought it was pretty good), so-so seller 'Turok.' " [Cut Scene blog, Variety]

ON THIS DATE: It was on this day in 1958 that the sixth and final season of "The Adventures of Superman" opened with an episode called "The Last Knight" which presented the Man of Steel flying in a suit of armor; it's the only time in the series that George Reeves went airborne in anything other than the hero's familiar costume. I imagine Reeves was pretty well sick of the show by that point.... To mark this modest anniversary, let's all stick to wearing our own cape today.

"TURISTAS" REUNION IN "TRON": I'm not sure whether this is an alarming development, but the makers of the  "Tron" revival appear to be fans of "Turistas" -- how else should we interpret the fact that two of the female stars from that 2006 bikini bloodfest are the first announced cast for the sci-fi revamp? Borys Kit has this trades announcement story: "Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett are the first to sign on for 'Tron 2.0,' the sequel to the 1982 Disney cult classic being directed by Joseph Kosinski. Sean Bailey is producing along with Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, and Jeff Silver. The original, about a programmer thrust into a computer and forced to fight in games he helped create, is remembered for its sci-fi gladiator-style battles and groundbreaking special effects. The new movie is acting as a 'next chapter.' Plot details are being guarded closely, but Wilde will play a worker in the virtual world who tries to help fight Master Control Program, the villainous intelligence protocol that was the nemesis in the original film. Garrett will play a siren in the virtual world. The male lead has not been cast, but the studio and filmmakers are screen-testing actors as it brings on other leads and supporting players. 'Tron 2.0' is eyeing a spring shoot and is shaping up as one of the studio's most anticipated projects in years. Kosinski shot reels to test technology and showcase his vision for the film; the footage screened at Comic-Con in July and was one of the most buzzed-about films coming out of the geekfest." [Hollywood Reporter]...ALSO Read about 13 other upcoming remakes of sci-fi classic films right here.

"WATCHMEN" CASE STILL IN LIMBO: The court case regarding the rights to the film adaptation of "Watchmen" is still up in the air, according to an update from Times reporter John Horn: "A federal judge said Monday that he was unable to decide whether 20th Century Fox controls rights to the movie that Warner Bros. has produced and plans to release March 9, leaving open the possibility that the dispute between the studios could be tried on Jan. 20. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess told lawyers for Fox and Warners that a series of 1990s contracts between Fox and 'Watchmen' producer Larry Gordon are so open to interpretation that he could not render a pre-trial judgment for either party, as the lawyers had requested. Fox sued Warners in February, arguing that Gordon -- who once ran Fox -- assigned Warners 'Watchmen' rights he didn't possess. Warners maintains that Fox holds no copyright on the movie, which is adapted by director Zack Snyder ('300') from the groundbreaking graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. [Los Angeles Times]

A "PHANTOM" MENACE?: You don't usually see a wire story about Aussie film producers acquiring the rights to a languishing property, especially if they have no casting announcement. But this came over the wire with a Sydney dateline, so here you go: "An Australian production company on Monday announced it had secured the rights to 'The Phantom Legacy,' a follow-up to the 1996 film, 'The Phantom,' which starred Billy Zane as the masked hero who fights evil from his jungle headquarters.The latest adaptation, which is expected to cost $87 million, will focus on 'the father/son relationship, and what it means to be the Phantom,” scriptwriter Tim Boyle said in a statement. 'The film will be set in the present day and will deal with the concept of destiny.' Producer Bruce Sherlock, who also served as executive producer of the first Phantom movie, said the new film will be a marked improvement over its predecessor, which received mixed reviews. 'It has the makings of a blockbuster,' Sherlock told The Associated Press. 'There's some surprises that will thrill the Phantom fans worldwide'...the Phantom began as a daily newspaper comic strip by Lee Falk in 1936. The protagonist -- alter ego Kit Walker -- is the 21st in a family of men who have passed the task of fighting injustice onto their sons. The first Phantom took the job to avenge his father's death at the hands of pirates." [Associated Press]

"TWILIGHT," TRANSLATED: There is some interesting Hollywood industry kabuki being staged in the naming of Chris Weitz as the director for the next "Twilight" film in place of the just-ousted Catherine Hardwicke. My favorite analysis so far is by columnist Patrick Goldstein who had this to say: "Chris is a talented writer-director and, having shepherded 'Golden Compass' to worldwide box-office success, clearly can handle the popularization of a franchise property. But what's fascinating, for the moment, is how Chris handled his first big assignment -- reaching out and reassuring 'Twilight' fans who were upset over Hardwicke's sudden departure, wanted a woman director to get the gig, or crave a absolutely faithful translation of the remaining books in the series, starting with 'New Moon,' which Summit hopes to have in theaters by the end of next year. So here are a few excerpts from what Chris said in his letter to fans -- and what it really means: What he said: 'In the past few days I have been involved in a whirlwind romance with Stephenie Meyer's  extraordinary books.' What it means: 'It's amazing how fast Amazon can rush an overnight shipment of books to your house.' What he said: 'I am very grateful to have received [Stephenie's] permission to protect 'New Moon' in its translation from the page to the screen.' What it means: 'I passed the audition.' What he said: 'For the last decade of my career as a director, I have chosen to make adaptations of complex and involved works of literature.' What it means: 'I barely remember being that smart-aleck brat who did all the semen jokes and sexist gags in 'American Pie.'' What he said: 'When I saw the film of 'Twilight' ... I was struck by the extraordinary passion for the characters, story and theme that was evident in the people sitting in the seats around me.' What it means: 'I saw the film in a real movie theater, not in my agent's screening room.' [The Big Picture blog, Los Angeles Times]

ON THIS DATE: Wow, what a day for science fiction. On this date in 1917, the futurist, inventor and author Arthur C. Clarke was born in Minehead, in the the southwest of England, the beginning of a 90-year life that would give the world "Childhood's End," "2001: A Space Odyssey" (co-written with Stanley Kubrick), "Rendezvous with Rama" and so many other slices of genius. Also on this date, in 1928, Philip K. Dick was born in Chicago but found a much more daunting life path ahead of him. The troubled writer died at age 52 but not before writing "Ubik," "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" "The Man in the High Castle" and "A Scanner Darkly." Also, British sci fi writer Kenneth Bulmer, author of more than 150 novels including the Dray Prescot series, died on this date in 2005 at age 84. To mark the day, let's all pick up a book and remember that science fiction doesn't begin and end on a movie screen.

-- Geoff Boucher

CREDITS: "Turistas" image courtesy of 20th Century Fox."Watchmen" image courtesy of Warner Bros.