Fans have finally gotten a look at the possibility of what we could have had had Cillian Murphy’s role in this middling Disney flick. Would it have been enough to save the movie that critics said felt “inhuman?” Maybe not. But audiences surely would have loved to have seen Murphy step into the role of Sark, especially now that this art is making the rounds.
Posting on Instagram about working on TRON: Legacy, feature film concept designer Phil Saunders wrote, “One of the first things Production Designer Darren Gilford asked me to tackle on Tron: Legacy was a quick illustration of Cillian Murphy as the new Sark. I think it was meant to lure him to the production to reprise his role as the junior Dillinger. Given his absence from the movie, I hope this illo isn’t the reason he passed!”
Even Cillian Murphy Probably Couldn’t Have Saved Tron: Legacy
Released back in 2010, the movie, which stars Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Jeff Bridges, holds a paltry 51% critics rating and an only slightly better 64% score with audiences. “Tron: Legacy proves that with so many examples of oppression in fiction and reality, this movie had to come from a special place to be thinner in its spin on an evil leader and his forces than the last season of Game of Thrones,” said critic Sarah Vincent. Legacy is beautifully filmed, bringing to life graphics that were beyond cutting-edge at the time. Aesthetically, it’s an almost perfect film. But the story falls flat, and the acting leaves much to be desired.
Even casual viewers couldn’t find much to praise about it. One said, “Cool visuals, but very poor storytelling, extremely shallow character development, lame clunky pacing, and just boring. Pity.” Another added, “Worth watching if you want to see a modern take on Tron, but don’t expect anything terribly original; it seems like they didn’t want to try anything daring and wanted to play it safe.” And that seems to be the common thread throughout all of the reviews of the movie; Legacy is beautiful, but shallow—style over substance at every turn. And as incredible an actor as Murphy is, even the gravitas that he surely would have brought to the role likely wouldn’t have saved it.
Would you have wanted to see Cillian Murphy in Tron: Legacy? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to head over to the ComicBook forum to see what other sci-fi fans are saying.