This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com. Stay tuned to the site for more TRON: Ares spoiler and non-spoiler coverage.
TRON: Ares arrives in theaters this Friday, and despite mixed reviews, fans of the franchise are understandably eager to return to The Grid. After all, it's been 15 years since TRON: Legacy's release, and a threequel has been a long time coming.
Will we get a fourth movie? That's going to depend on a lot of different factors, including how well the movie performs at the box office this weekend (revised predictions should arrive soon now that the review embargo has lifted).
Marvel Studios has popularised the concept of post-credits scenes, and many modern blockbusters use them to set the stage for future stories. So, does TRON: Ares have a post-credits scene, and without getting into spoilers, is it worth waiting for?
Yes, TRON: Ares does have a post-credits scene. However, it plays in the middle of the credits, right after the first chunk of credits finishes rolling. It is a pretty big moment, and will definitely mean something to longtime fans of the TRON franchise. So, if you're a fan, don't miss it.
As noted, it's far too soon to say whether TRON: Ares will relaunch the franchise. Like Legacy, it may end up being another one-off that finds a fanbase as the years pass.
"I just show my true personality: empty, flat, clinical," Jared Leto joked when GamesRadar+ recently asked him about his approach to playing Ares. "No, it's an interesting question because it did pose a pretty difficult challenge for me. In some ways, it's easier when you have a lot to grab a hold of, and I am used to exploring, kind of, some of the more colorful aspects of character."
"Ares is all about efficiency; I think about him as, like, a stoic samurai warrior. You know, not a wasted movement?" the Suicide Squad star continued. "He's really not very expressive and probably not the first person to talk about his feelings, especially at the beginning of the film, but then he goes on a journey. He starts to open up."
Leto added, "Obviously, there's only so much time you have in a big movie like this to explore the nuances of characters, where you have to kind of explain a lot. But we did talk so much about the discovery process for Ares, and what that must have been like to have these human experiences for the very first time. That was a lot of fun. I found it really exciting."
TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with A.I. beings.
The movie stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson. Joachim Rønning directs; producers are Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Leto, Emma Ludbrook and Steven Lisberger.
TRON: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featuring all original music by Nine Inch Nails, will be released on September 19 via Interscope Records. The release marks the first-ever film score by the pioneering band, although bandmates Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have composed 20 scores under their own names, winning two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a GRAMMY and an Emmy in the process.
TRON: Ares arrives in theaters on October 10, 2025.