Disney reveals first look and plot of Tron: Ares, details explored

On February 29, 2024, Disney released the first look of Tron: Ares, the much-awaited Tron sequel. The movie is the third in the Tron franchise that started with 1982’s Tron, followed by Tron: Legacy in 2010. The franchise, which has been presenting human-AI encounters for decades, has brought in Jared Leto to play the lead for the third film.

The movie was first announced in 2010 following the success of Tron: Legacy. However, the initial writers were changed multiple times along with the script. While rumors in 2015 said Tron3 was scrapped, Joseph Kosinski, director of Tron: Legacy, in a 2017 Q&A session, attributed the delay in the decision to Disney’s recent acquisitions of Marvel and Lucasfilm.

However, the same year, the film was confirmed to be a Tron reboot rather than a sequel, with a new protagonist, Ares, included in the plot. Moreover, from 2022 on, the casting, production crew, and scriptwriter were finalized. Tron: Ares is slated to arrive in theaters at an undisclosed date in 2025.

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Disney’s Tron: Ares has got its first look

In what looks like the pixels of a video coming together, the first look of the protagonist of Tron: Ares is revealed by Disney. It is assumed that the masked character visible in the first look is lead actor Jared Leto, who is confirmed to be playing the titular role.

Directed by Joachim Ronning, the upcoming movie presents the groundbreaking new program named Ares. Ronning joined as director after the exit of Garth Davis, the previously finalized showrunner. His previous works include Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

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Cast, plot, and additional information about Tron: Ares

As mentioned before, Jared Leto is playing the lead in the movie. Other actors comprising the cast for the movie include Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Cameron Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Hasan Minhaj, Sarah Desjardins, and Arturo Castro.

While Russell Allen is the executive producer, Morbius actor Jared Leto is a co-producer along with Sean Bailey, Steven Lisberger, Emma Ludbrook, Justin Springer, and Jeffrey Silver. Jack Thorne and Jesse Wigutow are the screenwriters. Produced by Paradox and Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures owns the movie's distribution.

Jared Leto plays the titular lead in Tron: Ares (Image via Instagram/@jaredleto)

The plot revolves around Ares, a highly sophisticated program played by Leto. Ares, who belongs to the digital world, is sent to the real human world, tasked with a dangerous mission. His risky mission marks the first encounter AI beings will have with human beings.

The franchise, famed for presenting cutting-edge plots on human-AI interactions since 1982, promises to bring groundbreaking technology, design, and storytelling, as per director Ronning.

The filming of the movie was delayed because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. One of Ronning’s social media posts at the time expressed frustration at the same. He had urged all the parties to speed up the negotiations. As such, the Hollywood strikes were related to AI inclusion in the production process.

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Tron: Ares, the third installment of the Tron franchise

The first Tron movie, setting up the franchise, arrived in 1982, starring Jeff Bridges as video game designer Kevin Flynn. The cult movie was appreciated for its visual effects.

It was followed by Tron: Legacy, a sequel that took more than two decades to arrive. Tron: Legacy, starring Garett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, garnered $400 million in its debut season.

Tron: Ares is expected to continue with the potential of presenting impressive visuals and a captivating plot. The release date for the movie has yet to be announced. However, the third installment is expected sometime in 2025.