'Tron: Ares' Taps Oscar-Winning Rock Stars to Create the Soundtrack
Looks like we're heading back to The Grid! Nearly 15 years after the last Tron movie and over 40 years after the original Tron, we're finally getting a sequel. The upcoming Tron: Ares will be the third installment in the Tron movie franchise, following the original Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010).
Fans of the science-fiction franchise were excited to get updates about the long-gestating film at Disney’s D23 Expo in early August; including details on the score and characters.
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Here’s everything we know so far about Tron: Ares, including which cast members will be returning and when it will hit theaters.
What is the Tron: Ares release date?
If fans don’t trust the Tron: Ares release date, it’s for good reason. Some version of “Tron 3” has been in the works for years.
There was talk in 2015 about a sequel to Legacy that Joseph Kosinksi would direct. However, the project was canceled by Disney and shelved for another five years before a different Tron 3 was set to be directed by Garth Davis. When that project, too, was canned, some gave up hope of ever seeing another Tron sequel.
However, Ares looks to be the real deal. Although there’s no trailer (yet), footage was shown at D23 and Tron: Ares is reportedly in post-production and scheduled for a release date of Oct. 10, 2025.
What is the plot of Tron: Ares?
The main thing we’ve known about Tron: Ares – and its previous iterations that were canceled before they could come to fruition – is that Jared Leto would star in it. His character, Ares, is described by Disney as “a highly sophisticated program who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with AI beings.”
While not much more has been revealed about the plot, the original protagonist from 1982’s Tron, video game programmer Kevin Flynn, will have a role in Ares too.
Who is in the Tron: Ares cast?
Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images
Jared Leto as Ares
Jared Leto is best known as the frontman of alt rock bank Thirty Seconds to Mars, and for starring in films like Requiem for a Dream (2000), Suicide Squad (2016) and Morbius (2022).
He'll star in this film as the titular Ares, a lifelike AI program sent into the real world on some kind of mission. A first-look image released by Disney depicts Leto dressed as Ares, donning a futuristic helmet with weapon in hand. His entire suit glows an ominous red.
Disney
Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn
Hollywood icon Jeff Bridges will be reprising his role as computer programmer Kevin Flynn, a main character in the original Tron and its sequel Tron: Legacy.
In a recent episode of the celebrity-hosted SmartLess podcast, Jared Leto revealed how much he enjoyed working with Bridges during filming for Ares. “One of the highlights was working with Jeff Bridges. Oh god, he’s just the best,” Leto said. “I had one take where I had to literally say cut, and they’re like, ‘What’s wrong? Did something—?’ And I’m like, ‘No, I just can’t stop f–king smiling.’”
Courtesy: Apple TV+
Greta Lee as Eve Kim
Also joining the cast is Greta Lee. She’ll be playing Eve Kim, a human who is described by Lee as “a brilliant programmer whose greatest work provides a path for Ares to come into our world,” as reported by Variety.
Lee is best known for her work on Past Lives (2023), Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018) and St. Vincent (2014).
CR: Sarah Shatz/FX
Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger
Evan Peters (American Horror Story, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, X-Men: Apocalypse) will star in Ares as Julian Dillinger. Fans of the franchise may notice that this character shares the last name of the first movie’s villain, Ed Dillinger.
“Dillinger doesn’t always mean great things for those on the grid,” Peters said at D23. Perhaps we have our villain.
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Additional cast members in Tron: Ares
Although we know nothing about the characters these actors will play, they’ve all been announced as part of the film.
Hasan Minhaj
Jodie Turner-Smith
Arturo Castro
Cameron Monaghan
Gillian Anderson
Is Jeff Bridges in Tron: Ares?
Yes! Jeff Bridges will be reprising his role as Kevin Flynn in the third Tron installment. There's no word yet on if any other characters from past Tron movies will be returning.
Who is the director of Tron: Ares?
In 2023, Joachim R?nning was announced as the director of Tron: Ares. Some of R?nning’s better-known director credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
“I’m excited to be part of the Tron franchise and bring this new film to fans around the world,” he said in a Disney press release in February 2024. “Tron: Ares builds upon the legacy of cutting-edge design, technology and storytelling. Now more than ever, it feels like the right time to return to the Grid.”
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Who is doing the music for Tron: Ares?
One of the biggest announcements that came out of D23 is that the rock band Nine Inch Nails will be composing the score for Tron: Ares.
Band members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have contributed to other movie scores in the past, including Challengers (2024), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), Soul (2020) and The Social Network (2010). They won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for both Soul and The Social Network. This is the first time they've composed using their band name though.
Is there a Tron: Ares trailer?
There is no official trailer for the third Tron. However, IMDB lists the film’s status as post-production and attendees of Disney’s D23 event got to see a “first look” that won’t be released to the general public.
When the trailer does come out, it will likely be much closer to the 2025 release date – probably not until spring 2025 or later, as one Collider article predicts.
How to watch Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares is scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 10, 2025. It will likely stay exclusively in theaters for a few months before releasing on Disney+.
Even with movies that underperform at the box office, Disney likes to keep them in theaters for a minimum of 60 days before moving them to streaming, as reported by IndieWire. But fans can always rewatch Tron and Tron: Legacy on Disney+ in the leadup to the Tron: Ares premiere.
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