TRON: ARES Director Vents Frustration Over Strikes as His Film Production Has Been Shut Down
Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning recently took to Instagram to let his fans know that Monday was supposed to be his first day of production for his new Disney project, but shared that “we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off,” due to WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
As you might imagine this is not only frustrating for him, but for everyone who is out of work because of the ongoing strikes. The filmmaker added: “It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone.”
Rønning then urged, “The AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA need to speed up the negotiating process and not leave the table until it’s done.” He went on to vent his frustrations on the matter saying:
“This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating. It’s time for diplomacy so we can get back to work – under conditions that are fair to everybody #amptp #sagaftra #wga.”
He does make an interesting point about how Hollywood is closing deals all the time, but now all of a sudden, they can’t seem to get it together. His full statement reads:
The absolute best moments of my career have been watching an actor perform in front of the camera – taking the scene and the text to a higher place. I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with amazing talent. It’s a huge part of why I’m a filmmaker. However, like myself, being an actor or a writer, means you’re a freelancer. And I can tell you, the constant uncertainty is not for everyone. To that end I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a better safety net.
Many of my best friends are writers. Everything starts with the story. Everything starts with you. That must continue. And that means that AI needs to be regulated. There is no doubt about the threat the technology poses to all creatives.
Today was supposed to be our first day of principal photography on TRON: ARES (a movie subsequently about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human). Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone.
The AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA need to speed up the negotiating process and not leave the table until it’s done. This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating. It’s time for diplomacy so we can get back to work – under conditions that are fair to everybody #amptp #sagaftra #wga
Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Sarah Desjardins, Cameron Monaghan and Jodie Turner-Smith.
As far as the story goes, all we know it that it’s going to focus on the emergence of a sentient program that somehow crosses over into the human world. Leto will take on the role of Ares, which is the manifestation of the Tron program. Leto is said to be playing a video game programmer and tech CEO in what is described as the leading role.
Tron creator Steven Lisberger is also involved with the development of the film as a consultant, and he said: "The Tron team is hard at work. They are always hard at work. It's going to happen. My goal with these things in playing the Obi-Wan role is to say the one sentence that has an impact. I try to say something that is useful to them without getting into the weeds."
The third Tron movie was written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.