Tron: Ares: A Confusing Sequel Explained

Tron enthusiasts have a thrilling 2025 on the horizon. After a significant hiatus, the beloved franchise is set to dazzle audiences once again with a new installment, Tron: Ares, slated for release in October. This third chapter introduces Jared Leto as Ares, a program on a high-stakes mission that blurs the lines between the digital and real worlds.

While the newly released trailer for Tron: Ares visually echoes the aesthetics of 2010's Tron: Legacy, the film's direction sparks debate over its status as a sequel. The trailer reaffirms the franchise's commitment to an electronica-heavy score, now led by Nine Inch Nails following Daft Punk's departure. However, Tron: Ares appears to lean towards a soft reboot rather than a direct continuation of Legacy's narrative.

Notably absent are Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, the stars of Tron: Legacy, raising questions about the film's connection to its predecessor. The return of Jeff Bridges, a veteran of the Tron universe, adds another layer of intrigue. To understand these choices, let's delve into how Tron: Legacy set the stage for a sequel and why Tron: Ares seems to deviate 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 Kevin Flynn (played by Jeff Bridges), embarks on a quest into The Grid to rescue his father and thwart CLU, Kevin's digital creation, from invading the real world. Along the way, Sam encounters Quorra, an ISO, a unique digital lifeform symbolizing the unexpected potential of digital realms. Their story concludes with Sam defeating CLU and bringing Quorra back to the real world, setting the stage for a sequel focused on Sam's leadership at Encom and Quorra's integration into human society.

Legacy's ending and the accompanying short film "Tron: The Next Day" clearly outline a future where Sam reforms Encom, embracing open-source principles. However, the absence of Hedlund and Wilde in Tron: Ares suggests a departure from this storyline. This shift might be attributed to Legacy's box office performance, which, despite earning $409.9 million worldwide against a $170 million budget, did not meet Disney's expectations. This financial outcome may have prompted a strategic pivot towards a more standalone narrative in Tron: Ares.

Yet, ignoring Sam and Quorra's arcs leaves a significant gap in the franchise's continuity. Fans are left wondering about their fates and hoping that Tron: Ares will at least acknowledge their impact on the Tron universe.

The absence of Cillian Murphy, who played Edward Dillinger, Jr., in Tron: Legacy, is equally puzzling. Introduced as Encom's software development head and a staunch adversary to Sam's open-source vision, Dillinger, Jr., was poised for a more significant role in future Tron films, possibly as the human antagonist echoing his father's role in the original Tron.

The Tron: Ares trailer hints at the return of the Master Control Program (MCP), evident from the characters' red glow, a signature of the MCP's influence. This development suggests a darker narrative, yet it's unclear why Dillinger, Jr., isn't involved. The introduction of Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger offers a potential connection to the Dillinger lineage, and there's a faint hope that Murphy might return in an undisclosed capacity.

Bruce Boxleitner’s Tron

The most striking omission from Tron: Ares is Bruce Boxleitner, the actor behind both Alan Bradley and the iconic program Tron. In Legacy, Tron's fate was left ambiguous after he was restored to his original programming. The decision to move forward without Boxleitner raises questions about the film's identity as a Tron sequel. Fans hope that Ares will address Tron's fate and perhaps introduce a new actor to carry on his legacy, such as Cameron Monaghan.

The inclusion of Jeff Bridges in Tron: Ares is perhaps the most perplexing aspect of the film. Both of Bridges' characters from Legacy, Kevin Flynn and CLU, met their end in the film's climax. His return suggests a complex narrative twist, potentially involving digital resurrection or a backup of CLU. The trailer hints at Bridges' involvement, but it remains to be seen how his characters fit into Ares' mission and whether they align with the MCP's agenda.

While Tron: Ares promises to deliver a visually stunning experience and an exciting new score by Nine Inch Nails, its departure from Legacy's established narrative leaves fans both eager and curious about how the film will weave together the threads of this iconic franchise.