Tron fans have plenty to be excited about in 2025. After years of dormancy, the iconic franchise is set to race back into theaters this October with a new installment, "Tron: Ares." The third Tron movie features Jared Leto as the titular character, a program who embarks on a high-stakes yet mysterious mission into the real world.
But can we truly consider Ares a sequel? Visually, it's unmistakably linked to 2010's "Tron: Legacy," as the newly released trailer clearly demonstrates. With Nine Inch Nails taking over from Daft Punk, the film maintains its signature electronica-heavy score, a testament to the franchise's musical legacy.
However, in other respects, Ares appears more like a soft reboot than a direct sequel. The absence of key characters from Legacy, such as Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde's Quorra, raises questions. Why aren't these stars returning for Ares? And why is Jeff Bridges, a veteran of the Tron series, the only confirmed returning cast member? Let's delve into how Legacy set up its sequel and why Ares seems to be straying from that path.
TRON: Ares Images
2 ImagesGarrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn & Olivia Wilde’s Quorra
"Tron: Legacy" primarily follows the intertwined journeys of Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde's Quorra. Sam, the son of Jeff Bridges' character Kevin Flynn, is the CEO of the telecom giant Encom, who vanished in 1989. In Legacy, Sam enters the digital realm known as The Grid to find his father and thwart Kevin's creation, CLU, from leading a digital army into the real world.
During his quest, Sam reunites with his father and meets Quorra, a member of the ISOs, a race of digital lifeforms that spontaneously emerged in The Grid. Quorra symbolizes the potential for life within digital spaces. By the film's end, Sam defeats CLU and returns to the real world with Quorra, who has been transformed into a living being.
Legacy's conclusion sets a clear stage for a sequel, showing Sam ready to take on his responsibilities as Encom's largest shareholder and steer the company towards a more open-source future, with Quorra as a testament to the marvels of the digital realm. The home video release even included a short film, "Tron: The Next Day," depicting Sam's return to Encom to usher in this new era.
Despite this setup, neither Hedlund nor Wilde are returning for "Tron: Ares," leaving fans puzzled. Disney's decision to pivot to a more standalone direction might be influenced by "Legacy's" box office performance, which, while not a failure, didn't meet expectations with a worldwide gross of $409.9 million against a $170 million budget. Like other underperforming films of that era, such as "John Carter" and "The Lone Ranger," Legacy may not have resonated enough with audiences to warrant a direct continuation.
Yet, Sam and Quorra's central roles in the Tron narrative make their absence significant. Are we to assume Sam abandoned his vision for Encom? Did Quorra return to The Grid? The lack of these characters creates a noticeable gap, and we hope "Ares" at least acknowledges their legacy, if not through surprise cameos.
Cillian Murphy’s Edward Dillinger, Jr. ---------------------------------------The absence of other "Legacy" actors, like Cillian Murphy, who played Edward Dillinger, Jr., adds to the confusion. Murphy's brief, uncredited appearance in Legacy hinted at a larger role in future installments. As the head of Encom's software development and an adversary to Sam's open-source ethos, Dillinger was poised to be the human antagonist in a sequel, echoing his father's role in the original Tron.
The "Tron: Ares" trailer suggests the return of the Master Control Program (MCP), with Ares and other programs marked by the MCP's signature red highlights. This hints at a darker mission for Ares, though whether he's a hero or villain remains unclear. The absence of Edward Dillinger in this context is surprising, especially with Gillian Anderson's new character taking center stage at Encom. However, Evan Peters playing Julian Dillinger keeps the Dillinger lineage alive, and there's a possibility that Murphy could still return unannounced.
Bruce Boxleitner’s Tron
Perhaps the most perplexing omission from "Tron: Ares" is Bruce Boxleitner, the actor who portrayed both Alan Bradley and the iconic Tron. In the original film, Boxleitner played a key role, and his character Tron was reprogrammed into Rinzler in Legacy, only to be restored to his heroic self by the film's end.
The decision not to include Boxleitner in Ares, either as Alan or Tron, raises significant questions about the film's direction. Is the plan to create a Tron movie without its namesake? Could Cameron Monaghan be playing a younger version of Tron? Whatever the case, we hope "Ares" addresses Tron's unresolved fate from Legacy and provides the character with the redemption he deserves.
Why Is Jeff Bridges in Tron: Ares? ----------------------------------The most baffling aspect of "Tron: Ares" might be Jeff Bridges' return. Both of his characters from Legacy, Kevin Flynn and CLU, were killed off. In Legacy's climax, Kevin sacrifices himself to destroy CLU, allowing Sam and Quorra to escape back to reality.
So, why is Bridges back for a third movie? The trailer offers a glimpse of his voice, but it's unclear whether he's playing a living Kevin Flynn, a version of CLU, or something else entirely. Did CLU somehow survive their shared demise? Did Flynn have 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 serving the MCP's agenda. While we eagerly anticipate "Tron: Ares," its approach to resurrecting Bridges' character while ignoring key survivors from Legacy leaves us both intrigued and puzzled. Nonetheless, the promise of a new score by Nine Inch Nails adds an exciting element to look forward to.
In other Tron news, fans can look forward to the franchise's return to gaming with the innovative Metroid/Hades hybrid, "Tron: Catalyst."
