TRON: Ares opened in theaters this past weekend, and it ends with Evan Peters' villainous Julian Dillinger managing to escape into a Grid of his own making, avoiding being made to pay for his actions.
In a mid-credits scene, he's distraught to discover that his digital empire has been decimated by the events of the movie's final act. However, it's then that a mysterious disk rises from the floor. Julian grabs it and writhes in pain as his body is redressed in a familiar uniform.
It's Sark's armour, the Games Master from 1982's TRON. This makes Julian the host for this franchise's most iconic antagonist, and positions Peters' character as a villain who will return far more deadly and powerful than when our heroes last encountered him.
In an interview with GamesRadar+ (via SFFGazette.com), TRON: Ares director Joachim Rønning confirmed that he already has ideas for TRON 4 and reflected on shooting the stinger.
"In this day and age, you never know where you will end up. And if we were to be that lucky, if enough people come watch it," he shared. "To be able to shoot the scene [where we] bring back Sark...everybody at Industrial Light & Magic was like, 'Oh my God!'"
"It was going back to the original Tron Grid, which is kind of like the holy grail of VFX," Rønning continued, "even though it was not eligible for a VFX Academy Award in 1982 because they felt it was cheating at the time."
Teasing what the scene could mean for the franchise's future, the filmmaker said, "Bringing back Sark, even though it's at the very end, it's just like hinting [at] something to come. I think that would be great. I think Julian Dillinger [Evan Peters] – it's a good starting point for that continuation of that character."
Encom CEO Eve Kim, meanwhile, is shown in the final shot of the movie standing on top of the corporation's headquarters, grabbing an orange from a tree she's created, an indication that she's one step closer to solving world hunger thanks to the Permanence Code.
Greta Lee also spoke with the site about what her future in the TRON franchise could look like as Eve. "There's so much that we could show, and given what this movie is, it really reflects the world right now," she said. "And I can't even begin to imagine how much will change by the time we get around to the next one."
"And I can only hope that we'll be able to reflect all of that, whatever that may be. And it's so complicated and dynamic and I can't wait to see what happens."
Unfortunately for Rønning and Lee, a sequel doesn't look likely. TRON: Ares has massively underperformed at the box office, making only $60 million during its worldwide opening, a far cry from initial $80 million - $90 million projections. Disney could choose to revisit the franchise somewhere down the line, but Ares' story is likely over.
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 is now playing in theaters.