Tron: Ares is the highly-anticipated third chapter in the Tron franchise, which kicked off in 1982 and continued with the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy. Revolving around a virtual reality simply known as “the Grid,” the franchise has dabbled in interaction with both morally good and corrupt computer programs. While the first Tron was praised for its groundbreaking visuals, Tron: Legacy also walked in its footsteps with its stunning light cycle battles, an iconic score by Daft Punk, and Oscar-nominated sound editing.
The production delay for a third Tron movie seems justified given how the first two movies shared a 28-year-long gap. The original wasn’t a big enough hit for Disney to make an immediate sequel, yet after Tron gained a cult following, the studio decided to flesh out the franchise. Tron: Ares has also received many setbacks, including Disney scrapping the idea for another sequel completely in 2015 and original director Garth Davis being replaced by Joachim Rønning. Now, with Tron: Ares finally out of development hell, the third installment is on its way.
Related
TRON: Legacy – What Went Wrong With Disney’s Long-Awaited Sequel
It took Disney 28 years to release a sequel to their cult hit Tron, so why wasn’t their lavish follow-up TRON: Legacy enthusiastically received?
Tron: Ares Latest News
Filming Wrapped In May 2024
In an announcement that seemed like it may never come due to the movie’s prolonged development, the latest news confirms that Tron: Ares has wrapped filming in early May 2024. Shared by director Joachim Rønning on Instagram, Tron: Ares has completed principal photography. Though that update is exciting, there’s still a long road ahead as the effects-heavy threequel shifts into the post-production phase. However, with more than a year until its planned release, there’s no reason Tron: Ares shouldn’t arrive on time.
Tron: Ares Release Date
The Next Tron Movie Arrives In Late 2025
While it may not be as soon as fans may have wished, Tron: Ares has finally established a release date after years of development hell. The legacy sequel has been in various stages of production for nearly 15 years, and the threequel is now slated to premiere on October 10, 2025. The date may change in the interim, but the fact that the film wrapped in May 2024 suggests it won’t miss its date.
Tron: Ares Cast Details
Jared Leto Leads A Star-Studded Ensemble
Leto has proven his acting capabilities with his Oscar-winning performance as Rayon in
Dallas Buyers Club
, yet Leto has also been behind some critically panned roles like the Joker in the DC Extended Universe
Jared Leto’s Tron 3 casting has proven to be heavily divisive. Leto plays the titular lead role of Ares, and fans are already concerned because of the actor’s troubled past with franchise films. Leto has proven his acting capabilities with his Oscar-winning performance as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, yet Leto has also been behind some critically panned roles like the Joker in the DC Extended Universe.
Leto will be joined by Emmy winner Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger, a relative of the original movie’s villain. It was also announced that Greta Lee will join the cast as Eve Kim, a tech CEO with some valuable technology that needs protecting, while Jodie Turner-Smith joins in an undisclosed role. After months of silence regarding the cast, Gillian Anderson was announced in an undisclosed role not long after the project began filming.
The known cast of Tron: Legacy includes:
|
Actor |
Tron: Ares Role |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Jared Leto |
Ares |
 |
|
Jeff Bridges |
Kevin Flynn |
 |
|
Greta Lee |
Eve Kim |
 |
|
Evan Peters |
Julian Dillinger |
 |
|
Hasan Minhaj |
Unknown |
 |
|
Jodie Turner-Smith |
Unknown |
 |
|
Arturo Castro |
Unknown |
 |
|
Cameron Monaghan |
Unknown |
 |
|
Gillian Anderson |
Unknown |
 |
|
Sarah Desjardins |
Unknown |
 |
Tron: Ares Story Details
Jared Leto’s Ares Will Be The Center Of The Story
The project summary on Production List reveals a vague idea of what Tron: Ares would actually be about. Referring to the sequel as “a compelling exploration of Ares’ journey,” it doesn’t give away much. While both Tron and Tron: Legacy were largely set in digital environments, the ending of Legacy had major repercussions for the future. Quorra stepped out into the real world in the first instance in the franchise when a program could turn human. Disney’s description of the film involves Ares meeting AI beings for the first time.
Stream
Tron
and
Tron: Legacy
on Disney+
Considering that Jared Leto plays a character named Ares, the “journey” in question could be his visit beyond the Grid with damaging consequences for humans. Ares was the Greek god of war and is no stranger to creating discord. While Jesse Wigutow serves as Tron: Ares‘ screenwriter, Joseph Kosinski told Collider that his original Tron 3 script (titled Tron: Ascension) dealt with an invasion storyline set between the two worlds. If strands of Kosinski’s script do get incorporated within Tron: Ares, then an actual war of the worlds could ensue.
Tron: Ares is the third film in the Tron franchise created by Steven Lisberger in the early ’80s. The movie is a direct sequel to 2010’s Tron: Legacy and stars Jared Leto in the lead role of Ares. Jesse Wigutow penned the screenplay for Disney, who previously worked on the 2015 TV Movie, The Prince.
- Director
- Joachim Rønning
- Release Date
- December 19, 2025
- Writers
- Jesse Wigutow
