During its D23 Expo, Disney revealed the first footage for the upcoming Tron: Ares, the third installment in the TRON franchise, which began way back in the ’80s, showcasing its exciting new continuation. However, while the previous two movies entertained the concept of humans entering the computer world, Tron: Ares will follow a program that left the Grid and has entered the real world, highlighting the narrative about AI and technology’s impact on humanity. But that’s not all, and here’s everything we know about Tron: Ares.
For those who aren’t familiar with TRON, the franchise began with an eponymous 1982 movie by Walt Disney Pictures. The original follows a genius computer programmer and video game developer as he’s transported into the Grid and tries to escape. The movie became a cult classic film, acclaimed for its groundbreaking use of visual effects and extensive use of early CGI. The movie alone spawned various tie-ins, including a comic book miniseries, video games, theme park attractions, an animated TV series, and a 2010 sequel called Tron: Legacy.
Tron: Legacy follows the original character’s son as he enters the Grid in search of his father in a series of events that takes place 28 years following the events of the first film. It was groundbreaking, not for its use of more modern CGI, but because one of the programs from the digital world, Quorra, left the Grid and stepped out into the real world. This development opened the door for the upcoming narrative. Directed by Joachim Rønning, Tron: Ares will follow a highly advanced program called Ares, which is sent from the digital world into the real world on a rather dangerous mission.
Ares’s departure and his (or its) arrival to the physical realm mark humanity’s first real, physical encounters with AI beings. The movie was initially developed as a more direct sequel to Tron: Legacy and the original script dealt with an invasion narrative set between the Grid and the physical world. However, in 2017, Disney and the franchise’s creator, Steven Lisberger, decided on a franchise reboot rather than a direct sequel, with a rewritten script and Jared Leto portraying Ares — a character that was retained from prior iterations of the original script.
Now, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Ares was the Greek god of war, who wasn’t a stranger to creating chaos and discord. Considering that the original script dealt with an invasion story, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for Tron: Ares to introduce or even center on a war between the Grid and the real world. Please note that this is just speculation at this point, so take the information regarding the film’s narrative with a grain of salt until Disney or someone else associated with the project offers more substantial information.
From what we know about casting, Ares will likely be a protagonist, considering that Jared Leto was the first person cast in the film. While Ares being the protagonist isn’t confirmed, audiences are skeptical about Leto’s casting considering the actor’s poor history with franchise films; both his roles in Suicide Squad and Morbius weren’t so well received. Emmy-winning actor Evan Peters also joined the cast in an undisclosed role, along with Sarah Desjardins, Cameron Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, and Gretta Lee — the latter is portraying a tech CEO and video game designer.
The fandom also wondered if any characters and actors from the original movie and its sequel would make a return for the upcoming installment ever since it was announced. The answer to this question has long eluded the fandom; however, it was confirmed that Jeff Bridges will make an appearance in the upcoming film. Bridges portrayed Kevin Flynn, the protagonist of 1982’s Tron and a tech genius responsible for defeating the tyrannical Master Control Program in the first film.
Though Disney stated that the movie is a reboot of the franchise, it could be a soft reboot, meaning that it could also act as a distant sequel to the previous film. This means that we might still see characters from previous movies portrayed by actors such as Bruce Boxleitner, Garrett Hedlund, and Olivia Wilde. Sadly, there are no official confirmations saying that these actors would reprise their roles, but then again, nobody said they wouldn’t. At least a cameo or two would be nice, along with a few easter eggs for the fandom to discuss.
To bring this discussion to an end, we’d like to mention that Tron: Ares had a troubled production period and that the movie took more than a decade to enter active production. The movie suffered several setbacks between 2010 and 2015 when it was discovered that Disney had scrapped the movie. It wasn’t until 2017 that the work on the franchise had restarted, leading to discussions about reboots and sequels. Furthermore, the filming was delayed several times since August 2023 before it officially wrapped on May 1, 2024.
Tron: Ares is now officially scheduled for a theatrical release on October 10, 2025, with engagements in IMAX, if everything goes according to plan. But, as with anything, release dates can change, and it could end up being pushed back, or in the rare case, even pushed forward. Either way, there’s still a long wait ahead of us.