There's no denying the reaction to the initial marketing materials for "Tron Legacy" have been off the charts.  There are also rumors the current cut of the movie plays although there is some concerns about editing around star Garret Hedlund's performance.  All good news for fans of Kevin Flynn's long awaited return to the big screen.  And yet, considering the film won't be released for another eight months, it's still somewhat startling that Disney is developing a sequel and/or possible backend trilogy for "Legacy."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has hired "Lost" writers and executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, who are credited on "Legacy," to begin work on a second and possibly third installment. The trade notes it's unclear if the same characters -- including Jeff Bridges' Flynn -- would return or it would just be a new adventure set in the "Tron" world.  All the actors or director Joseph Kosinski have options to return, but if the film is a blockbuster they will be in a position to negotiate better deals.

This isn't uncharted territory.  Paramount Pictures optioned J.J. Abrams, producer Damien Lindeloff and original screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci to develop a sequel to last year's "Star Trek," but that occurred only weeks before the film debuted.  The question is whether Disney has done extensive polling to determine early interest for "Legacy" or is just that optimistic with the cut of the film they've seen so far.  And, unlike other studios, the newly hired head of production, Sean Bailey, would know how good the movie is at this stage, because he's the picture's producer.

It's also worth noting this news will also be hard for the current cast and filmmakers to ignore with months of publicity still to come.

More on this story as it develops on HitFix.