The Turbulent History of the Tron Film Series

At best, the path to a third installment in the Tron film series has been bumpy, and at worst, it has been stormy. This franchise has a tumultuous history with the Walt Disney Company as its parent.

A Cult Following

Even though neither the original Tron (1982) nor its sequel Tron: Legacy (2010) were exactly box office blockbuster hits, both films have earned the reputation of being cult classics thanks to the fervently loyal followings of their respective fan bases.

The Future of the Franchise

Due to the fact that the franchise is reasonably popular but has yet to historically be the most profitable intellectual property owned by the House of Mouse, this has resulted in Disney needing to figure out what they will do with the series in the future.

A Reboot and a Sequel

The Walt Disney Company decided not to move forward with plans for a sequel to the film Tron: Legacy, despite the involvement of the previous film’s director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), and the remainder of the cast from the second picture. Then, it was revealed that a new franchise version would start from scratch thanks to a reboot that was now in production. Disney has revealed that the next Tron picture would be a sequel and that Garth Davis, who directed Lion, will be directing it.

The Long Wait

That particular update occurred in the year 2020, and ever since then, there has been no information regarding the project… until today, that is. Oscar-winner Jared Leto is one of the actors rumored to be involved in the production of a third Tron film. Even though the project has been stuck in development hell for years, Leto has remained optimistic that fans would eventually be able to watch a continuation of the Tron franchise.

Tron: Ares

We’ll finally have the chance to do so with the now-officially titled Tron: Ares (2025). The film already has a director attached to it in the form of Joachim Rønning, who directed Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. A return to the Grid is in the cards after what feels like an eternity, and it won’t be the first time this year. Tron: Ares is still in the very early phases of production. Even though it has been through years of development hell, we have learned a lot of information. Here is everything we know about Tron: Ares so that you can figure out exactly what that information is.

The Cast

• Jared Leto as Ares
• Cameron Monaghan
• Evan Peters
• Sarah Desjardins
• Greta Lee
• Jodie Turner-Smith

Release Date

If the Writer’s Guild of America goes on strike, production on Tron: Ares is scheduled to get underway in August of 2023. Around the same time the following year, the post-production phases of the project will be finished if everything goes according to plan. Disney can target a release window in the latter half of 2024 or delay the date to some point in 2025. The release of Tron: Ares is speculated to take place on December 19, 2025, according to many sources, even though Disney has yet to speak. The same information is mentioned on the Tron: Ares page of the IMDb. A similar situation occurred with the film Tron: Legacy, which had its post-production work completed in November 2009 and was subsequently released in December of the following year.

The Director

Joachim Rønning is a Norwegian film director who was once in a partnership with Espen Sandberg, a Norwegian actor and filmmaker originally from Sandefjord. They were known by the name Roenberg when working together as a directing duo. Motion Blur, one of the most successful commercial production firms in Scandinavia, is owned jointly by them. As a sole director at this point, Rønning is responsible for cinema and television production. It was rumored that Rønning would take over for Garth Davis as the director of Tron: Ares in 2023. This film would be the third episode in the Tron trilogy. It is anticipated that the shooting will start in August of 2023. Rønning will also direct the sixth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Trailer

It is anticipated that filming on Tron: Ares will take place around the summer of 2023; however, we will be able to view footage in 2024. Having said that, if the marketing effort is even half as broad as the big promotional push that Tron: Legacy had, then we will likely get to see bits and pieces of the new picture sooner than we may think we can.

The Plot

The synopsis of the project that can be found on the Production List shows an unclear premise that provides very little insight into the potential plot of Tron: Ares. Even though it describes the sequel as “a compelling exploration of Ares’ journey,” it does not provide much information regarding the location. Although most of the action in both Tron and Tron: Legacy took place within the Grid’s digital worlds, the conclusion of the 2010 sequel did establish some key implications for the franchise’s trajectory in the years to come. This was the first time in the franchise that a computer program could transform into a human being when Quorra left the simulation and entered the real world. When seen in this light, the plot of Tron: Ares has the potential to be comparable to that of The Matrix films. It’s possible that the official title of “Tron: Ares” will give away important plot points. Considering that Jared Leto portrays a character named Ares, the “journey” in question might refer to Ares’s trip outside of the Grid, which would have negative repercussions for humans. Ares, the Greek god of war and discord, was well-known for his ability to stir up conflict. Joseph Kosinski revealed to Collider that the plot of his original Tron 3 script, originally titled Tron: Ascension, dealt with an invasion plotline between the two worlds. Jesse Wigutow is currently serving as the screenwriter for Tron: Ares. A true war between the worlds might break out if certain elements of Kosinski’s script are integrated into the tale’s final version for Tron: Ares.