TRON: Ares will take us back to The Grid for the first time since 2010's TRON: Legacy, but the threequel looks set to feature only one familiar face from the franchise that kicked off with TRON in 1982.
We are, of course, talking about Jeff Bridges as the returning Kevin Flynn (fortunately, he won't be de-aged this time). It seems there's no room in the movie for Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn, Olivia Wilde's Quorra, or Cillian Murphy's Dillinger Jr., a disappointing development for fans hoping this movie would serve as a sequel to Legacy.
Director Joachim Rønning and producer Justin Springer shared their takes on that while talking to GamesRadar+ (via SFFGazette.com), with the former explaining, "These things are not only creative choices; sometimes actors don't want to be in it anymore."
He added, "There are different ways of looking at that, but I think the story fell into a place where we felt that we didn't need the old characters to be front and centre. We wanted to take this into a new direction while, at the same time, honoring the universe that we’re in."
Springer's take was that TRON: Ares' priority is introducing us to a host of new characters, starting with Suicide Squad star Jared Leto as Ares. "We're telling a story that's 14 years later, and the most important thing is that we tell this new story in a way that works."
"To just throw cameos in, where it's a parade of people that we love from this franchise, I just feel like it's fan service that doesn't serve the story. But we are definitely focused on ways to surprise the audience.
"If we don't touch something in this movie, I always think about where else we can play. I produced the animated series [Tron: Uprising] and I worked on the theme park rides," he continued. "There are all sorts of different ways to keep the mythology alive, whether that be in a film or a series or whatever, if we're so lucky."
While many fans will be disappointed with the lack of cameos (and the fact that this isn't a direct follow-up to TRON: Legacy), it has been a decade and a half since the last movie was released, and it's not like it was a huge hit at the time.
Whether TRON: Ares is going to find a greater level of success remains to be seen. Excitement seems relatively muted as of now, and it's hard to shake the feeling that this will be another high-profile blockbuster that struggles to make its mark, post-COVID.
As of now, it doesn't appear as if recent sexual misconduct allegations made about Leto will impact how Disney markets the TRON threequel.
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 arrives in theaters on October 10, 2025.