At 74, Jeff Bridges, Is Set to Revive ‘Tron’, The Best Movie Ever Made About Video Games- His Remarkable Saga Since The 80s

Beloved '80s Actor Remains Active On-screen Years After Beating Cancer

• Actor Jeff Bridges, 74, who starred in 1982’s Tron, will revive his character in the franchise’s third installment more than three decades after its original release.
• Bridges’ remains active on television decades into his storied career and a few years after battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After undergoing treatment, he went into remission.
• Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common than Hodgkin lymphoma, and it typically starts later in life.
• Treatment for non-Hodgkin often includes chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
• SurvivorNet experts say a chemotherapy combination called R-CHOP is an effective treatment for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It stands for Rituximab (Rituxan), a monoclonal antibody, Cyclophosphamide (a type of chemotherapy drug), Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin—a kind of chemotherapy drug), Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin—a sort of chemotherapy drug), and Prednisone (a steroid).

Actor and cancer survivor Jeff Bridges, 74, will revive his iconic role in the 1982 science-fiction film “Tron.” He says he’s looking forward to seeing how modern technology will showcase him since he’s 32 years older than the movie’s original release.

“I’m really excited to see what the technology is going to be all about this time,” Bridges said while on the Film Comment podcast. The movie “Tron: Area” will be the franchise's third installment. Jared Leto, 52, will join Bridges and the rest of the case for the movie. "Tron" is a gripping tale about a computer hacker named Kevin Flynn (portrayed by Bridges) who was abducted into the digital world and forced to participate in gladiatorial games. His only hope of escape lies in the hands of a heroic security program, as detailed by IMDB, a reliable source of movies and films. A 2010 sequel called “Tron: Legacy” followed Kevin Flynn’s son as he searched for his long-lost father. Bridges reprised his role in that film as well. “Jared Leto is the star of this third one, and I’m really anxious to work with him, and I’ve admired his work,” Bridges said.

“When I did ‘Tron 2’ and ‘Tron Legacy,’ we had to put all these dots on our faces and all these kinds of things,” Bridge said while discussing the magic of filmmaking in 2010. “That’s probably all passe. I had to see myself as a young guy or as another character, but the same guy, but it was going to be digitally created. I think it was de-aging,” Bridges described, adding that he did not like the way he looked after the special effects were complete during the movie’s final release. Bridges said the newest movie might have less artificial intelligence (A.I.). Although Bridges is a few decades older than when he first appeared in “Tron” during the early 1980s, he remains active in television and media. In addition to appearing in the third sequel of “Tron,” he also serves as a spokesperson for the “No Kid Hungry” campaign.

Expert Resources on non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

• All About Biopsies to Diagnose Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• All About Follicular Lymphoma: A Common Type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Bispecific Antibodies Deliver One-Two Punch to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• What Are the Side Effects of CAR T-Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?
• CAR T-Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Jeff Bridges’ Cancer Journey

Bridges was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020. “The two main classifications I think of in terms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are lymphomas that are more indolent and those that are more aggressive because those are treated very differently,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie , medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.

No screening tests for lymphomas exist, and symptoms can be hard to identify. Hence, doctors typically perform a biopsy on a lymph node to accurately determine if non-Hodgkin lymphoma exists. However, some common symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma include:

• Swollen glands
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Weight loss
• Fatigue

WATCH: What kind of lymphoma do you have? Indolent lymphomas grow slowly and often don’t cause symptoms, so they may not need immediate treatment. At the opposite end of the spectrum are aggressive lymphomas, which grow and spread quickly and must be treated promptly. “I had a 12-by-9-inch tumor in my body. Like a child in my body. It didn’t hurt or anything,” he previously told People. Despite his diagnosis, the brave and resilient actor remained optimistic, saying at the time, “The prognosis is good.” “I always advise that people understand their specific type of lymphoma because there are over 40 different types,” Dr. Elise Chong , medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet. While undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Bridges battled COVID-19 in early 2021. He told People Magazine at the time that his chemotherapy treatments weakened his immune system, allowing the COVID-19 virus to impact him harder than he expected. He spent nearly five months in the hospital while treating his cancer and managing his COVID-19 symptoms. “I had nothing to fight it. COVID made my cancer look like nothing,” he told People Magazine. Luckily, the actor was able to fight through and overcome COVID-19, and his chemotherapy helped shrink the tumor. In September 2021, Bridges shared that his lymphoma was in remission, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Treating non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

“There are some lymphomas that are very treatable but not curable,” Dr. Lawrence Piro told SurvivorNet. Dr. Lawrence Piro is the President and CEO of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate. He adds that some lymphomas progress quickly if left untreated. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment depends on the type, stage, and how fast it grows. People with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma can expect to get a chemotherapy combination called R-CHOP , which is a drug cocktail consisting of chemotherapy drugs plus an antibody-drug and a steroid to treat diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. R-CHOP stands for : R: Rituximab (Rituxan) is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a specific protein called CD20, which sits on the surface of B cells. It targets cancerous cells and destroys them. C: Cyclophosphamide is a type of chemotherapy drug D: Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin) is a type of chemotherapy drug V: Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin) is a type of chemotherapy drug P: Prednisone is a steroid which lowers inflammation Patients receiving R-CHOP receive the drug in six cycles that are three weeks apart. “R-CHOP is a cocktail of drugs. There are five different drugs in that recipe,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet. WATCH: Understanding R-CHOP treatment. R-CHOP side effects can include:

• Tiredness and weakness
• Hair loss
• Mouth sores
• Bruising and bleeding
• Increased risk of infection
• Appetite loss and weight loss
• Changes in bowel movements

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are also treatment options for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. Rituximab (Rituxan) was the first immunotherapy drug approved to treat some forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “Rituximab is the immunotherapy that has been approved the longest, and we have the most experience with lymphoma,” Dr. Chong tells SurvivorNet. Rituxan has side effects, including fever, chills, swelling under the skin, itching, and mild shortness of breath. Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is a relatively new targeted treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. This drug is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines an antibody (a type of protein that recognizes foreign substances in the body) with a drug that treats cancer. It uses a particular protein to deliver medicine directly into the cancer cell. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can also be treated with radiation, which aims beams of intense energy at the cancer to stop cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you are dealing with a lymphoma diagnosis, it’s important to ask your doctor a series of questions so you will have an idea of what your next steps will look like. To help you during this difficult time, SurvivorNet has some questions to kickstart your conversation with your physician.

• What type of lymphoma do I have?
• What does my pathology report say about my diagnosis?
• Should I get a second opinion before I explore possible treatment options?
• Based on my diagnosis, what do you anticipate my treatment path?
• What common side effects should I expect when I begin treatment?
• Will I be able to continue working and normal daily activities during treatment?
• Where can I get help working with the insurance company regarding treatment costs?
• Who do you recommend I get mental health help during my treatment?