Cyberspace Gamble

THE very first feature that Joseph Kosinski has ever directed — “Tron: Legacy” — cruises into theaters on Dec. 17, and it’s not exactly a cinematic baby step. A $170 million budget. State-of-the-art 3-D visual effects. A three-year marketing campaign. An extensive line of related toys, clothes, jewelry and electronics. A spinoff television show. Theme park tie-ins. Overt hopes for a sequel. Pressure? Just a little.

But late last month, as Mr. Kosinski showed “Tron: Legacy” to his cast for the first time, he was the epitome of calm; an ice sculpture would have looked like a nervous wreck next to him. “I’ve got some bad news for you,” he said to Olivia Wilde, who plays a cyber warrior named Quorra. “You’re no longer in the movie.” Ms. Wilde looked at him, blinking. Mr. Kosinski, an architect by training, waited a beat and then smiled. “Just kidding.”

Earlier that day Mr. Kosinski, 36, slouched on a sofa in his dimly lighted office, took a careful sip of mint tea and tried to explain his unflappable demeanor. “As a director, if you know what you want, then it’s not scary,” he said. “I had a very clear idea of what I wanted ‘Tron: Legacy’ to look like.”

If he came across as more arrogant, you might believe that he is really this confident. But he doesn’t. Raised in Marshalltown, Iowa — population 26,000 — he is quiet, polite and interested in other people’s opinions in a way that is rare in moviedom’s major leagues. Instead the cool exterior seems designed to keep people out of his head. After all, when a reporter asked him a silly question — what kind of building best describes you? — he gave a revealing answer: “Tall and thin with no windows.”

Read more at: Nytimes.com