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A New Kind of Mission
After years of silence from the digital frontier, Tron: Ares has just dropped its first official trailer—and fans of the franchise (myself included) are cautiously rebooting our expectations. It’s been over a decade since Tron: Legacy hit theaters, and a whopping 42 years since the neon-soaked original dazzled audiences in 1982. With Tron: Ares, Disney is taking us back to the Grid for another round of visually-stunning cyberpunk mayhem—but not without a few raised eyebrows.
This time, the story flips the script. Ares, a highly advanced program played by Jared Leto, is sent from the digital world into the real one to carry out a mission that may determine the fate of both realms. It’s part Terminator, part Tron, and it definitely opens up a fresh narrative angle, though is clearly carrying on the plot from Tron: Legacy where Clu – the program created Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) tries to invade the real world with his digital army. As the trailer reveals, that’s exactly what’s happening, which begs the question: will we see a new version of the derezzed Clu in this film? Is someone taking over his mission? If the former, we sincerely hope they made some upgrades to one of the most regrettable parts of the first sequel: cringy CG Jeff Bridges.
Jared Leto as Ares: Inspired or Glitchy?
Speaking of Jared Leto: look, he’s a wildcard. He’s an Oscar-winning actor (Dallas Buyers Club) but also the guy who brought us Morbius, House of Gucci’s infamous Italian accent, and that… unforgettable take on the Joker. His casting as Ares is either inspired or catastrophic, depending on how optimistic you’re feeling today. Disney seems to be betting on his chameleonic range, but fans are understandably wary.
Jeff Bridges Returns (But Hopefully Not as a Digital Zombie)
Thankfully, Tron: Ares also gives us something we didn’t dare hope for—Jeff Bridges is back. Yes, the OG Grid-rider himself, Kevin Flynn, returns in the flesh. And fortunately, we’re far enough along in anti-aging tech that we (hopefully) won’t have to sit through another cringe-inducing CG version of young Bridges like we did in Legacy. That tech aged about as well as a floppy disk.
Missing: Sam Flynn and Quorra
What about Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) and Quorra (Olivia Wilde), the protagonists of Tron: Legacy? According to early reports, the duo is notably absent from Ares. Whether that’s a temporary omission or a sign they’ve been derezzed from the narrative entirely remains to be seen. It’s a puzzling choice, given the emotional payoff of Legacy’s ending, which saw Quorra escape the Grid into the real world—a major development now seemingly shelved, but a concept that paved the way for Ares plot line.
A Timeline Spanning Decades
The franchise’s timeline is a trip through tech history. Tron (1982) was groundbreaking for its time, blending early CGI with a conceptual digital world unlike anything audiences had seen. It was a cult hit, though only did mildly well at the box office. It took 28 years for Disney to revisit the Grid with Tron: Legacy in 2010—a sleek, synth-drenched visual spectacle that received mixed-to-positive reviews. Now, 15 years later, we’re finally getting a third installment.
Can the New Soundtrack Compete with Daft Punk?
This is where things get tricky. Tron: Legacy wouldn’t have had nearly the same impact without Daft Punk’s now-legendary score. Sadly, the French electronic duo effectively retired in 2021, and they won’t be back. Instead, Tron: Ares is bringing in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame. They’re no strangers to cinematic scores (The Social Network, Gone Girl, Soul), but their gritty, industrial style is a sharp turn from Daft Punk’s neon disco. We only get a small taste of what we assume is part the final score in this trailer – a fitting backdrop to the digital hellscape that unfolds visually.
Why I’m Still Excited
Despite the potential pitfalls, I’m genuinely excited. The Tron universe remains one of the most original sci-fi concepts out there. It’s not another multiverse story (thank the Users), and its blend of digital philosophy, sleek visuals, and techno mysticism still feels fresh in a genre landscape overrun by superhero fatigue (I’m having a hard time being excited for James Gunn’s Superman). If Tron: Ares can thread the needle—balancing nostalgia, innovation, and coherent storytelling—it could reboot the franchise for a new era.
So fire up your identity discs, pray the runtime is under three hours, and let’s hope this one doesn’t get corrupted.