TRON: Ares

This article is written from a Real World perspective.

TRON: Ares
Media Type	Film
Director	Joachim Rønning
Producers	Sean Bailey Jared Leto Emma Ludbrook Jeffrey Silver Steven Lisberger Justin Springer
Screenplay	Jesse Wigutow
Story	David DiGilio Jesse Wigutow
Starring	Jared Leto Greta Lee Evan Peters Jodie Turner-Smith Hasan Minhaj Arturo Castro Gillian Anderson Jeff Bridges
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures Sean Bailey Productions
Distributors	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release Date	October 10, 2025 (US)
Running Time	119 minutes
Budget	$180 million
Box Office	$142,226,469
Gallery

TRON: Ares is a motion picture developed by Walt Disney Pictures that serves as a standalone sequel to the 2010 film TRON: Legacy.

The film's plot involves a highly sophisticated program named Ares and humanity's first encounter with A.I. beings as programs from the digital world are sent into the real world.

Plot

Fifteen years after entering the Grid, Sam Flynn gives up ENCOM to tech sisters Eve and Tess Kim for "personal reasons". In 2025, ENCOM and Dillinger Systems are in a race to bring digital constructs into reality. Dillinger Systems is led by Julian Dillinger, former ENCOM executive Ed Dillinger's grandson, and ENCOM is led by Eve Kim. Eve and her partner Seth Flores visit a remote station near Skagway, Alaska set up by Kevin Flynn decades ago, believing his computers hold the Permanence Code" to break the 29-minute barrier holding back the constructs. After finding the code, they transfer a digital orange tree into the real world, where it lasts indefinitely, even failing to freeze in the frigid weather.

Meanwhile, Julian introduces Ares, a Master Control Program (MCP), to shareholders, calling him the "perfect, expendable soldier". Ares shows self-awareness, noting Julian's indifference to his survival, and interest in real-world phenomena. After Ares de-materializes, Julian's mother, Elisabeth, expresses concern about the limited lifespan and his overzealous goals. Julian disregards this and later uses Ares to attack ENCOM's grid for the permanence code. A security fight ensues as Ares downloads Eve's personal data. During their escape, Ares, against his programming, tries saving an injured program, but Julian pulls him out and disables ENCOM's Grid. After being returned to the outside world, Ares is able to track Eve's private jet, after it leaves Skagway.

Eve and Seth are en route on their return to ENCOM with the Permanence Code, when their colleague and friend Ajay Singh, reports Julian's cyberattack, forcing Eve to flee while Julian and Ares track her, with Ares and his second-in-command Athena chasing Eve on Light Cycles. Eve hits Athena and hijacks her Light Cycle, but Ares corners her in a nearby port, where Eve destroys the drive containing the code. Julian sends his man Cross to "execute plan B", As Ares approaches the end of his 29 minute "life-span", he recognizes Eve's empathy towards his plight. As Ares and Athena get "derezzed", Cross then uses the particle laser to "digitizes" Eve into the Dillinger Grid.

Julian becomes more determined to retrieve the code. Ares reveals it can be obtained using Eve's identity disc but will kill her as a result; Julian accepts this risk. However, Ares then lies to Athena, claiming that Julian is "indisposed" and attempts to bargain with Eve, asking to achieve permanence in exchange for Eve's freedom. Suspicious of Ares' behavior, Athena contacts Julian and, deciding that Ares is malfunctioning, returns with orders to de-rez Ares. Ares and Eve are able to evade their pursuers and return to Dillinger headquarters.

En route to ENCOM headquarters, Eve and Ares reflect on their motivations, with Ares determining that Eve pursued the Permanence Code out of a sense of inferiority to her sister, who worked on humanitarian projects. Ares continues to show signs of individuality, showing a fondness for Depeche Mode's song "Just Can't Get Enough". Eve realizes a copy of the code might be stored in a museum display at ENCOM of Kevin Flynn's original office. They reunite with Seth to digitize and upload Ares onto Flynn's original grid. Athena destroys the particle laser to trap Ares and then pursues Eve. The sprinkler system activates, and Athena shows a moment of self-awareness before de-materializing. Ajay and his assistant Erin arrive, and Seth and Eve explain their plan to use Athena's own particle laser so they can free Ares and thwart Julian.

Elisabeth retakes the CEO position and she tries turning off the particle lasers, but Athena re-materializes, fatally stabs her and mortally wound her, having interpreted her as an obstacle in the directive given by Julian to obtain the code "by any means necessary", before proceeding her mission. Julian, horrified by Athena's actions, is unable to stop her. On Flynn's Grid, Ares encounters an aspect of Flynn, and they discuss Ares's desire for permanence. Intrigued by Ares's wish to live permanently and his internal awareness, Flynn grants Ares the Permanence Code and sends him to Flynn's Arcade via a backdoor where he re-materializes.

Athena pilots a Recognizer into the city to find Eve, and eventually captures her while Ajay, Seth and Erin breach the Dillinger Grid. As Athena prepares to return to Dillinger, Ares intercepts them, engaging Athena and her allies. Ajay, Seth, and Erin penetrate and shut down the Dillinger mainframe, preventing any of the Dillinger programs (barring Ares) from re-materializing. A wounded Athena permanently de-materializes in Ares' arms. The authorities raid the Dillinger headquarters, but Julian uses the laser to digitize himself. Eve and Ares go their separate ways, with ENCOM using the permanence code to benefit the world.

Ares later sends Eve a postcard about his life outside the Grid and plans to find Flynn's son, Sam, and his companion, Quorra. Eve reconstructs the Skagway facility on top of ENCOM tower, including the orange tree. Meanwhile, Julian explores the damaged Dillinger Grid and is transformed by an identity disc that belonged to his grandfather's program, Sark.

Cast

• Jared Leto as Ares
• Greta Lee as Eve Kim
  • Miru Kim as Young Eve Kim
• Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger
• Jodie Turner-Smith as Athena
• Arturo Castro as Seth Flores
• Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn
• Cameron Monaghan as Caius
• Gillian Anderson as Elisabeth Dillinger
• Hasan Minhaj as Ajay Singh
• Sarah Desjardins as Erin
• Aaron Paul Stewart as Cyber Security Pete
• Roger Cross as Cross
• Roark Critchlow as General McGrath
• Katharine Isabelle as Marcia Lee Hadlow
• Gary Vaynerchuk as Stuart Roche
• Kwesi Ameyaw as Silvio
• Robin Roberts as Herself
• Kara Swisher as Herself
• Dr. Fei-Fei Li as Herself
• Trent Reznor as F-35 Pilot #1
• Atticus Ross as F-35 Pilot #2
• Shannon Leto as Pizza Parlor Patron
• Selene Yun as Tess Kim
  • Catherine Haena Kim as Voice of Tess Kim
  • Narsha Kim as Young Tess Kim
• Curt Sandoval as Himself
• Jaclyn Lee as Herself
• Trevor Ault as Himself
• Zohreen Shah as Herself

Development

As a Legacy sequel

While little was revealed in terms of potential plot for the film, actor Cillian Murphy's involvement in Legacy hinted at a returning role as potential villain Edward Dillinger, Jr. After TRON: Legacy, Bruce Boxleitner noted in an interview that he believed Disney would "get the ball rolling next year" and added to the rumors that Dillinger Jr. would return: "Let's just say... Cillian Murphy doesn't do cameos."

More information surfaced in a leak about a TRON 3 teaser trailer that was supposedly going to be released with the DVD and Blu-ray Discs in April 2011. Footage shot for the "teaser" was certified by Disney. Some did indeed appear in TRON: The Next Day, the exclusive 10-minute Blu-ray short in which Roy Kleinberg (Dan Shor), the user of Ram from the original TRON, bridges the gap between TRON and TRON: Legacy by recapping the entirety of the twenty-year Flynn Lives movement which he'd been secretly running since Kevin Flynn's disappearance; the rest appeared in a hidden "Easter Egg" also only available on the U.S. Blu-ray. The scenes apparently linking to TRON 3 are:

• The arrival of Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) at Roy Kleinberg's hacktivist hideout in TRON: The Next Day. Alarmed at the sudden restructuring of ENCOM, Roy has been preparing to dismantle his search for Kevin Flynn, but is interrupted by Alan, who had been clandestinely backing the movement all along. Quelling Roy's reservations while mentioning that "Junior" (Edward Dillinger, Jr.) had earned his place and would remain with the company, Alan says it is time to "put Flynn Lives behind us" and offers the real-world "Ram" a place at ENCOM, describing him as "ENCOM's moral compass."
• The last scene of The Next Day, originally rumored to feature Quorra (Olivia Wilde) in the real world as she arrives at ENCOM Tower: asked by the press about Kevin Flynn's disappearance, she was to have revealed that she had seen him the previous day. The scene was instead filmed with Sam arriving at ENCOM for his first board meeting; when asked by besieging reporters whether his father would be proud of his actions and whether he has any statements for the press, he reveals a Flynn Lives t-shirt under his biker jacket, silencing the reporters with this wordless retort and disappearing into the building in a storm of publicity.
• A hidden "Easter Egg" only on the U.S. Blu-ray release, in which Ed Dillinger Jr., present in text only, chats on the ENCOM ILC server with someone of the ambiguous username "MCTRL_751." This mysterious contact warns Junior that Sam "may not be his father but he's still a Flynn. Don't underestimate him," and ended the communication with MCP's trademark "End of Line."

The co-writers of TRON: Legacy were interviewed at the 2012 Wondercon about the third TRON film. Alan Horowitz said they were working on a sequel, but would not be writing it, as he and Eddie Kitsis had moved up to be co-producers on their show Once Upon a Time. "But there's a script being written right now," said Horowitz, and Kitsis confirmed, "Dave DiGilio is writing it. Joseph Kosinski is right now shooting Oblivion, but we've had a lot of meetings and conversations and we've seen the first draft of the TRON sequel." Asked about a possible return of Kevin Flynn, Adam Horowitz responded, "I would say the definition of life and death in the digital realm--" "Will be explored in the sequel!" finished Kitsis. Concerning the possible return of Quorra (played by Olivia Wilde in Legacy), Horowitz moved to the next roundtable.

In December 2012, Jesse Wigutow was reported to be working on the latest version of the script. Joseph Kosinski, in an interview in the same month, said the film would be TRON's "Empire Strikes Back," promised to "blow the doors off the franchise," and explained that TRON 3 would take place in real time, following the events of Legacy after the same number of years that had passed between the two films; he also mentioned bringing new designs to the film and possible involvement by Daft Punk.

From 2013 (as TRON: Uprising failed to land a second season) to 2014, little information emerged; the TRON 3 script was continually in development. At Wondercon 2013, Joseph Kosinski was less forthcoming than before, revealing only that the film would "open up" the world of TRON and give it broader appeal," and that it now had a working title other than TRON 3.

In March 2015, VanCity Buzz reported that TRON 3 was soon to start shooting in Vancouver. Production Weekly subsequently announced that a title for the project was TRON: Ascension.

In early April 2015, Olivia Wilde attributed the delay to "finding the right story," but said that it had come together and that she had seen a script. She did not definitively confirm the project as going ahead but speculated hopefully on character development for Quorra in the real world and exploration of artificial intelligence in the TRON universe.

Despite these hopeful signs, news broke by the end of May 2015 that the project was not moving forward. The Hollywood Reporter added that Disney had been interested in adding Jared Leto to the cast, but no offer or negotiations had taken place before the plug was pulled. Confirming the bad news in early June, Wilde tweeted, "TRON fans! Don't trip. Now I don't have to live on seaweed juice and tofu dust for 6 months to fit into a rubber suit."

In late July 2015, Bruce Boxleitner stated in an interview that he was "done" with waiting for another TRON movie: "I hate to say that but it’s been too up and down for me [...] It breaks my heart, but I understand the times move on." TRON, he continued, should have been "the one thing that would keep going forward because we’re living it"; he described the property as Disney's "only real science fiction" and a continuation of an original concept rather than "reboot, reboot, reboot," and expressed disconcertion at the decision not to move forward when TRON 3 had been "very close to actually shooting." However, he suspected that the company's acquisition of Lucasfilm and Marvel, along with its colossal lineup of animation-to-live-action remakes coming up over the next decade, had left the relatively smaller-scale TRON 3 in the dust: "I’m not sure that they really had that much interest anymore. I hate to say that because I think there’s a lot more to go."

However, in September 2015, Hedlund stated that he was told that the third TRON film was not "totally dead", but jokingly suggested that it could be released thirty years later, referencing the thirty-year gap between the first film and Legacy.

In August 2016, former Disney development executive Brigham Taylor told ScreenRant that "there’s obviously been conversations", referring to the possibility of a sequel.

As Tron: Ares

Ares in the film's first promotional image by Fernando Acosta.

On February 28, 2017, during a Q&A session with Joseph Kosinski, he revealed that TRON 3 has not been scrapped, instead saying it was in "cryogenic freeze". A few days later, it was announced that Disney is looking into rebooting the franchise with Jared Leto attached to portray a new character named Ares, who originated from the TRON 3 script.

On October 2, 2017, Rotten Tomatoes reported that Jared Leto was interested to "expand upon the world of TRON and see what we can do to bring that to life". Leto revealed a working title of TRON: Ares on Twitter, which was subsequently deleted.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed in March 2020 that a pitched TRON television series for Disney+, titled "TRN/GRADIENT," was in development for several months by American screenwriter John Ridley as part of his ABC Studios deal before being scrapped the previous year. Concept art for the series was released by American concept designer Chris Glenn in 2020 to his ArtStation portfolio, featuring programs, vehicles, and items from The Grid emerging in the real world, a plot point that would have been featured in the scrapped TRON: Legacy sequel, TRON: Ascension. The concept of programs and vehicles from the digital world entering the real world would be a central plot element in TRON: Ares.

In August 2020, Variety reported that Garth Davis (Lion, Mary Magdalene) was attached to direct.

In 2022, while promoting Morbius, Leto confirmed that Ares was still in development.

On June 28, 2023, Deadline reported that Evan Peters had been cast for TRON: Ares while Joachim Rønning was named director and Emma Ludbrook, Jeffrey Springer, and Jared Leto as producers. The same year, principal photography was set to start in Vancouver Canada on August 14, though it was halted by the 2023 writer's guild of America strike.

Unlike the initial treatments for a Legacy sequel, Ares was written to be more stand-alone. According to producer Justin Springer, "At some point, it [the original treatment] sort of timed out, and it felt more natural to go with a new story and explore that new story with new characters." He further elaborated that the world had changed since 2010, and the idea of people living in a fully digital world (and said world impacting the real one) felt dated. Ares was written to be a more contemporary film, representing developments such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and biotechnology. However, Ares still shares the same canon as the preceding films.

In late November 2023, production would finally begin after the Holiday season of the same year.

On February 29, 2024, Jared Leto shared the first promotional image for the film.

On April 29, 2024, Jeff Bridges was confirmed to reprise his role as Kevin Flynn.

A teaser was officially released on April 6, 2025, followed by an official trailer on July 18, 2025.

While Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn, the film does not feature Garrett Hedlund or Cillian Murphy, who previously portrayed Sam Flynn and Edward Dillinger Jr. in TRON: Legacy. According to director Joachim Rønning, their absence came down to creative decisions and the actors’ own choices not to return. Olivia Wilde also does not reprise her role as Quorra, though both Sam and Quorra are referenced in the film through photographs.

Bruce Boxleitner, who played Tron and Alan Bradley in TRON and TRON: Legacy; does not return for this film. At the 51st Annual Saturn Awards, Boxleitner confirmed his absence from the film, stating, "I’m not in it." Despite not appearing, Boxleitner has expressed support for the project and encouraged fans to see Tron: Ares in theaters, remarking that “box office is everything.” In earlier interviews, Boxleitner had hinted at moving on from the series, saying, “I’m done with it. I’ve moved on.”

Marketing and promotions

For the film's pre-release, numerous promotions and tie-ins were released. Several theater chains, including AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and Marcus Theatres, sold several TRON: Ares-themed popcorn buckets and drinking tumblers. In September 2025, Marvel Comics announced TRON: Ares variant covers for their October 2025 issues to promote the launch of the film. Fortnite released a TRON: Ares bundle on October 7, 2025, making it the second TRON collaboration for the game following the End of Line Set in 2020 during Chapter 2: Season 5. Indie video game developer and Minecraft Marketplace partner Syclone Studios developed the TRON Add-On for the sandbox video game Minecraft, which was released on the Minecraft Marketplace in October 2025, featuring vehicles and skins based on TRON: Ares.

Music

On August 9, 2024, Disney showcased the first footage for the movie at the D23 Expo. At the end of the footage, the title card of the film also revealed that the score would be composed by the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.

Reception

Box Office

Ares debuted with $33.5 million on its opening weekend in North America, with $27 million internationally, making for a $60.5 million debut. The film had a budget of $180 million, not including marketing. Nearly 70% of the opening weekend audience was male.

By late October, it had grossed over $100 million worldwide, but this failed to recoup its budget of $180 million, not including marketing costs.

Critical Reception

The film received a "B+" grade on CinemaScore.

Trivia

• This is the first TRON film to be rated PG-13 in the United States, with the previous films TRON and TRON: Legacy being rated PG.
• This is the first TRON movie not to have poster similar to the classic poster from the first film, of the male and female lead at the Grid's portal. Instead, the poster showcases Ares with his light cycle, against the backdrop of the city, with a large Recognizer in the middle and aircraft flying around.
• Jeff Bridges is the only actor to reprise his original role in this film, returning as Kevin Flynn. This makes him the actor with the most film appearances in the Tron franchise, followed by Bruce Boxleitner (who does not return in this film).
  • Sam Flynn and Quorra are referenced through photographs in the film but Garrett Hedlund & Olivia Wilde do not physically reprise their roles.
• This is the first TRON film where neither Tron nor Alan Bradley appear in.
• The film’s opening clip of Kevin Flynn talking about the Grid is based on real 1982 interviews of Jeff Bridges promoting his film Kiss Me Goodbye, with Bridges dubbing the lines and AI used to match the dialogue.

References

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