Jared Leto put a first look at “Tron: Ares” on the grid.
The actor posted a photo of his character in the upcoming action film, followed by an animation unveiling the figure, to his Instagram Thursday. The sci-fi sequel will now officially arrive in 2025.
At the end of the pixelated reveal of his red-suited rider, a line of code reading “#SYSTEMCTL START ARES” types out on a black screen.
“‘Tron: Ares’ follows a highly sophisticated program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings,” per the movie’s logline.
This is also the first confirmation that the film is titled “Tron: Ares.”
When Leto first signed on back in 2017, he casually announced that the sequel was called “Tron: Ares,” which was then followed by some studio backtracking and references to “Tron 3” or untitled third “Tron” film in the months (now years) since.
Leto will star alongside Greta Lee (“Past Lives,” “The Morning Show”), Evan Peters (“Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” “Mare of Easttown”), Jodie Turner-Smith (“Queen & Slim,” “After Yang”), Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files,” “Sex Education”), Cameron Monaghan (“The Giver,” “Vampire Academy”), Sarah Desjardins (“Yellowjackets”) and Hasan Minhaj (“The Morning Show”) in the futuristic film, which is currently shooting.
The sequel installment was delayed by the SAG and WGA strikes in 2023. Director Joachim Rønning pointed out the irony that production was supposed to start mid-August 2023 amid a battle over AI when the film also tackles the topic, as well as what it means to be human.
Rønning previously helmed “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” for Disney. He also has “Young Woman and the Sea” coming up.
“Tron: Ares” serves as a follow-up to Joseph Kosinski’s “Tron: Legacy” from back in 2010. That film, itself a sequel to the groundbreaking 1982 film “Tron,” was festooned with cutting-edge visual effects (including some early digital de-aging for Jeff Bridges’ in-videogame character) and an all-time great score by French electronic duo Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo). Bolstered by a typhoon of hype, “Tron: Legacy” went on to gross $400 million worldwide.
After “Tron: Legacy,” a proper sequel that would have reunited Kosinski and stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, was attempted twice – first in 2011 and then in 2015 (The latter was skirted after the failure of Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland” and Disney’s skittishness with sci-fi outside of Lucasfilm). In that sequel, there was a character called Ares (now played by Leto), proof that a good idea never goes away, especially if it is on the Grid.
Jesse Wigutow and Jack Throne wrote the threequel’s script. Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Emma Ludbrook, Steven Lisberger and Leto will produce the film alongside executive producer Russell Allen.
