Tron: Ares has been delayed, and its director wants strike negotiations to speed up already
"We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious?" director Joachim Rønning asked in a statement
The point of a strike is generally to cause disruption to an industry. Still, while he seems to largely support the many reasons behind said disruption, Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning is pretty over the disruption itself.
“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),” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement. “Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone.”
Despite his frustration, Rønning did take the space to shout out the talent of his fellow creatives. “The absolute best moments of my career have been watching an actor perform in front of the camera,” he wrote. “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,” he continued. “There is no doubt about the threat the technology poses to all creatives.”
Still, the director certainly did not suffer from a lack of fingers to point when it came to the length of negotiations:
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
While the strike is affecting almost every production in Hollywood right now, there is a particular irony to Rønning’s comments. The third installment of the popular Tron franchise has been stuck in a pattern of stops-and-starts for almost a decade, with Jared Leto first attached in a starring role all the way back in 2017. While being forced to lay off over 150 employees is undeniably shitty, this particular pause, at least, is for a way better reason than 2015's—allegedly the box office “troubles” (a.k.a. flop-status) suffered by Disney’s Tomorrowland.