Kicking off in 1982 with the first Tron movie, followed by the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy, the sci-fi franchise didn’t exactly witness box office success. Yet both films turned into cult classics, with fans obsessed over the neon-lit world of The Grid, and Daft Punk’s legendary soundtrack. Now, Disney is bringing the franchise back with Tron: Ares, the long-awaited third installment.
Meanwhile, people might not know this but Joseph Kosinski had previously tried to develop a sequel to Tron: Legacy until the project was ultimately canceled by Disney. But now that the studio had a change of mind, fans will finally get to see the third installment, now officially titled Tron: Ares in 2025. So, let’s check out every little detail we know so far about the upcoming movie.
When will Tron: Ares hit the theatres?
Fans of the Tron franchise have been long awaiting the release of the third sequel, ever since Disney greenlit the project in 2020. However, due to a bumpy road filled with SAG-AFTRA strikes causing production delays, and changes in directors, the movie struggled to complete filming.
But luckily, production wrapped up in May 2024, and the studio dropped the latest update at Disney’s D23 convention in 2024. Informing fans that they won’t have to wait too long before stepping back into The Grid, Disney announced that Tron: Ares is slated for an October 10, 2025 theatrical release.
Soon after its release in theaters, the movie will be made available for streaming on Disney+, to join its predecessors.
The cast for the third Tron sequel
One of the biggest names attached to Tron: Ares is the Oscar winner Jared Leto, who will play the film’s lead character, the AI Program named Ares. Although his roles in both Suicide Squad and Morbius weren’t well-received, this history of Leto playing enigmatic characters could help him bring a fascinating edge to the Tron universe.
Although details surrounding his role remain vague, Deadline noted that Leto’s character will travel into the real world from the digital space, marking his appearance as human beings’ first encounter with an AI being. Meanwhile, Emmy-winning actor Evan Peters, who has garnered significant attention following his role as Jeffrey Dahmer, is also set to appear in the film.
According to reports, Peters is set to play a villain, Julian Dillinger, who happens to be a relative of the original movie’s villain. Overall, the film also features Greta Lee (Past Lives), Jodie Turner-Smith (The Acolyte), and Cameron Monaghan (Gotham, Shameless). Sarah Desjardins (Yellowjackets), Hasan Minhaj, and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) are also set to be a part of the cast.
Now, while the new cast for the upcoming movie excited fans, people also wondered if any of the actors from the original films would reprise their roles. Their curiosity was put to ease when the star of the original Tron film, Jeff Bridges announced his return in Tron: Ares. He will reprise his beloved role as Kevin Flynn. Meanwhile, if the third film actually ends up being a sequel, there’s a high possibility of seeing Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde’s Quorra.
What is the plot for Tron: Ares?
While Disney has remained secretive about the storyline surrounding Tron: Ares, we do know that the movie will once again explore new corners of the digital world. Most importantly, as mentioned above, the film will follow the story of a highly intelligent AI named Ares, played by Jared Leto, who manages to enter the human world on a mysterious and dangerous mission.
Now, while the franchise typically focuses on humans getting trapped in a digital world and trying to escape, it seems Tron: Ares will shift its focus toward AI getting trapped in the human world. Previously, the ’80s movie Tron, focused on Jeff Bridges’ character Kevin Flynn, and the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy followed his son, Sam getting transported to The Grid, and having to work their way out of it.
But considering how in Tron: Legacy, Quorra broke the boundaries between machine and reality, it might help in setting a continuity in Tron: Ares, where the AI will travel to the human world. In fact, this also seemingly hints at a brewing war between the two sides (the digital world and the human world) that might be touched upon in the upcoming movie.
Overall, considering how the Tron franchise has always been about breaking boundaries between the digital and real worlds, Tron: Ares could take that concept further than ever before.
Is there a trailer for the upcoming movie?
Considering how Tron: Ares wrapped production in May 2024, the trailer for the film was shown during Disney’s D23 Expo Brazil, on November 8, 2024. And guess what? The ones in attendance got super hyped. But unfortunately, the trailer was never made public, so common audiences and casual moviegoers are yet to have access to the teaser.
However, worry not, for CinePop dropped a solid description of what the trailer looked like. Referring to a futuristic world with neon and vibrant colors, the outlet announced a new threat lurking in the upcoming movie. Claiming to be particularly shocked by the graphics where a red beam of light split a car into two halves, the outlet went on to praise Jared Leto.
The Tron Ares trailer is a spectacle. Lots of neon and vibrant colors. A futuristic world. We see a new threat emerging. A car is split in half by a red beam. Jared Leto is scary in several insane action scenes.
While most of Leto’s previous works in sci-fi and action thrillers have failed to garner positive attention, CinePop’s comments seem to suggest how well the actor delivered his performance in the movie. Calling him scary, the outlet went on to appreciate his crazy action scenes and even touched upon the iconic soundtrack.
Not to mention, the outlet was one of the initial few scoopers who confirmed Jeff Bridges’ return to the franchise as Kevin Flynn. In the end, CinePop appeared to drop an overall positive feedback over the trailer.
The crew associated with Tron: Ares
While we know about the stars who are set to appear in front of the camera, it’s time to check out the legends working backstage. Tron: Ares seems to have an interesting lineup of talent standing behind the scenes, including Joachim Rønning as director and screenwriters Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.
For those who are unaware of Joachim Rønning, he’s the filmmaker behind blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Rønning comes with years of experience in large-scale fantasy films and CGI-heavy projects—thus becoming a strong choice to bring Tron’s world to life.
Meanwhile, after Daft Punk designed the iconic movie soundtracks for Tron: Legacy and garnered widespread acclaim, fans started wondering who might develop the music score for the sequel. So, according to reports, Trent Reznor’s industrial indie rock group got seemingly tapped to work on the musical score for the upcoming sequel.
Further, Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Emma Ludbrook, and Steven Lisberger are set to produce alongside executive producer Russell Allen. Not to mention, even Jared Leto has taken on the role of a producer for Tron: Ares.
Tron and Tron: Legacy are both available on Disney+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
