Tron: Ares: A Puzzling Sequel Unveiled

Tron fans have plenty to be excited about in 2025. After a long hiatus, the franchise is set to return to the big screen this October with a new installment titled Tron: Ares. This third Tron movie features Jared Leto as the titular character, a program embarking on a high-stakes and enigmatic mission in the real world.

But can we truly call Ares a sequel? Visually, the film is unmistakably connected to 2010's Tron: Legacy, as evidenced by the newly released trailer. The shift from Daft Punk to Nine Inch Nails for the score underscores the continued emphasis on an electronica-heavy soundtrack.

However, in other aspects, Ares appears more like a soft reboot than a direct sequel. The absence of key characters from Legacy raises questions. Why aren't stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde reprising their roles as Sam Flynn and Quorra? And why is Jeff Bridges, a veteran of the Tron series, the only confirmed returning cast member? Let's delve deeper into how Legacy set up its sequel and why Ares seems to be diverging from that path.

TRON: Ares Images

2 ImagesGarrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn & Olivia Wilde’s Quorra

Tron: Legacy primarily focuses on the intertwined journeys of Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde's Quorra. Sam, the son of Jeff Bridges' character Kevin Flynn, the CEO of Encom who vanished in 1989, enters The Grid to rescue his father and thwart Kevin's creation, CLU, from invading the real world with a digital army.

During his quest, Sam reconnects with his father and encounters Quorra, an ISO—a digital lifeform that spontaneously emerged within The Grid. Quorra symbolizes the potential for life within digital realms. By the film's end, Sam defeats CLU and returns to the real world with Quorra, who has been transformed into a flesh-and-blood being.

Legacy sets a clear stage for a sequel, with Sam ready to take on his role as Encom's largest shareholder and lead the company towards a more open-source future, with Quorra by his side as a testament to the wonders of the digital world. The home video release even includes a short film, "Tron: The Next Day," which shows Sam beginning to steer Encom into a new era.

Despite this setup, neither Hedlund nor Wilde are returning for Tron: Ares, which is a notable omission. Disney's decision to pivot to a more standalone narrative for Ares might be influenced by Legacy's box office performance, which, while not a failure, did not meet Disney's expectations, grossing $409.9 million worldwide against a $170 million budget. This performance, alongside other underperforming live-action films from that era, may have prompted Disney to reconsider the direct continuation of the plot.

The absence of Sam and Quorra leaves a significant gap in the franchise's narrative. Are we to assume Sam abandoned his mission at Encom? Did Quorra tire of the real world and return to The Grid? We hope Ares will at least acknowledge their importance, if not bring them back in surprise cameo roles.

The absence of Cillian Murphy, who played Edward Dillinger, Jr., in Legacy, is equally puzzling. Introduced as the head of Encom's software development team and a staunch opponent of Sam's open-source initiatives, Dillinger was clearly set up for a larger role in a sequel, potentially as the main human antagonist, mirroring his father's role in the original Tron.

The Tron: Ares trailer hints at the return of the Master Control Program (MCP), with Ares and other programs marked by the MCP's signature red highlights. This suggests a darker tone to Ares' mission, though whether he is a hero or villain remains unclear. If the MCP is back, why isn't Edward Dillinger, Jr., returning? And why is Gillian Anderson's new character now central to the Encom board?

However, Evan Peters is set to play Julian Dillinger, indicating that the Dillinger family still has a role in the story. There's also a possibility that Murphy might return in a surprise role, given his uncredited appearance in Legacy.

Bruce Boxleitner’s Tron

The most surprising omission from the Tron: Ares cast is Bruce Boxleitner, who played both Alan Bradley and the titular Tron in the original film. In Legacy, Boxleitner reprised his role as Alan, and it was revealed that CLU's bodyguard Rinzler was a reprogrammed Tron, who regained his heroic identity by the film's end.

Boxleitner's absence from Ares raises questions about the film's direction. Is it possible that Tron has been recast with a younger actor, perhaps Cameron Monaghan? Regardless, Ares should address Tron's unresolved fate from Legacy and include the character in some form, as a Tron movie without Tron feels incomplete.

The most intriguing aspect of Tron: Ares is the return of Jeff Bridges, despite both his characters, Kevin Flynn and CLU, being killed off in Legacy. In the trailer, we hear Bridges' voice, but it's unclear whether he's playing a resurrected Kevin Flynn, a surviving CLU, or something else entirely. Did CLU somehow survive their mutual destruction? Did Flynn keep a backup of CLU? Or has Flynn transcended mortality within The Grid?

These mysteries will likely be unraveled in Ares, along with whether Ares is aligned with Flynn/CLU or the MCP. While we eagerly anticipate Tron: Ares, the film's decision to bring back Bridges while sidelining other key survivors from Legacy leaves us both excited and puzzled.

On a positive note, the new score by Nine Inch Nails promises to be a thrilling addition to the Tron universe.