Disney revealed the first footage of “Tron Ares,” the third installment in the sci-fi series of films about a world of virtual reality reconstituted within computer mainframes. At the end of the footage, we see the score written by Nine Inch Nails. “The industrial-rock and electronica band was created in 1989” so reads a title card. However, we had to wait two more years for their first album to appear-which meant the band as a whole, rather obscure entity at time, did not start until 1991. It takes in 2016 already established member Atticus Ross on board as well.
Reznor and Ross, who have landed Oscars for their soundtracks to 2010’s “The Social Network” and last year’s “Soul,” came out briefly on stage together after the announcement.
Leto stars in the film as Ares, a program from the digital world which has been sent into reality. Lee plays Eve Kim, a human who Lester describes as “the world’s best programmer and provides a path for ares to enter our world.” Peters plays Julian Dillinger, who has the last name of the villain in the first film.
| Title | Tron: Ares |
| Type | Upcoming American Science Fiction Film |
| Part of Franchise | Third Feature Film in the Tron Franchise |
| Directed by | Joachim Rønning |
| Produced by | Jared Leto, Justin Springer, Emma Ludbrook |
| Starring | Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Gillian Anderson |
| Screenplay by | Jesse Wigutow, Jack Thorne |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
“Dillinger doesn’t always spell happiness for those on the grid,” Peters concluded.
Then in another shot, Dillinger is holding forth on the future of humanity during a keynote speech. “Since the dawn of time, humans have gazed at the stars, he notes.“
Is there anybody out there? Since intelligent life does exist but not are we looking in the wrong direction, it’s not out there, it’s in here. So we say AI and big tech virtual worlds and when are we going to finally get there? Well folks, We aren’t going anywhere. They are coming here.”
The video moves to Ares in the real world and as rain falls from him. “There is something happening inside my head that isn’t right,” he contends. “Like this,I came here to experience.”
Sure! Here’s a revised version:
“The remaining footage showed a car being sliced in half by a lightcycle and a barefoot Bridges in white robes saying, ‘Greetings, program.'”
Joachim Ronning (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) will direct with a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne. The film costars Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Hasan Minaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan and Sarah Desjardins.
“AI and all this technology is really everywhere in our lives these days,” Bridges said as the footage played. “What a perfect moment to revive this amazing world. Or better said, to have this magnificent world visit us again.”
“Tron: Ares” continues one of the longest running (and the least obvious) trilogies in modern film history. “Tron,” the film, even though it was a box-office failure, was also groundbreaking. Its creator Stephen Lisberger was the first to introduce to a feature length movie large-scale computer-generated imagery.
In the story, a video game developer, Kevin Flynn (Bridges), is unknowingly zapped into a cutthroat digital universe. Bridges returned to the role when Disney resurrected the franchise with 2010’s “Tron: Legacy,” the directorial debut of future “Top Gun: Maverick” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
“Thinking back, the first time we started work on Tron was in 1982,” Bridges said as he put it at the presentation. “It still feels incredible – we forbade to ourselves back then that something like this would never go on and on, year after year.”
According to a podcast Bridges did in April, he is returning to take on the 2017 prequel “Tron: Ares,” though neither “Legacy” co-stars Garrett Hedlund nor Olivia Wilde — who respectively plays Flynn’s grown son and a sentient program that comes to life in our real world — will show with him on this new film.
Leto signed on to “Tron: Ares” as its star and producer in 2017. Also producing are Justin Springer, Jeffrey Silver and Emma Ludbrook.
FAQ’s
What is Tron: Ares about?
Tron: Ares is the upcoming third installment in the Tron sci-fi franchise. It follows a highly sophisticated program named Ares who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first contact with artificial intelligence from the computer realm.
When will “Tron Ares” be released?
Tron: Ares is expected to release on October 10, 2025 on Disney+. The long production timeline allows time for extensive post-production work on the visual effects.
Who is directing Tron: Ares?
Joachim Rønning, known for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, is directing Tron: Ares.
Who is starring in Tron: Ares?
The main cast includes Jared Leto as the program Ares, Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger, Greta Lee as Eve Kim, and Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn from previous Tron films. Other cast members are Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Hasan Minaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan and Sarah Desjardins.
Who is composing the music for Tron: Ares?
The score for Tron: Ares is being composed by Nine Inch Nails, the industrial rock band founded by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who have won Oscars for their film scores.
