Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are getting zapped into the grid — and Nine inch Nails is back.
Disney announced, during its Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23, that the influential composers behind “The Social Network” and HBO’s “Watchmen,” would be composing the original score for the forthcoming “Tron” sequel, “Tron: Ares,” which is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 10, 2025.
And the composing duo were there to make sure fans know it’s real.
Reznor and Ross, who in addition to being Hollywood’s most in-demand composers are also members of industrial rock outfit Nine Inch Nails, have some mighty big shoes to fill. 1982’s “Tron” had a cutting-edge score composed by Wendy Carlos, who had also composed the score to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and “A Clockwork Orange.”
For “Tron: Legacy,” eventually released in 2010, director Joseph Kosinski turned to the French electronic duo Daft Punk (nee Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo), who continued Carlos’ mixture of classical orchestration and electronic instrumentation. (They also have a brief cameo in the movie.) The resulting score was one of the most celebrated, instantly iconic scores of the past fifteen years and became an essential part of Daft Punk’s legacy. The album has been released repeatedly and inspired an entire remix album, with artists like Paul Oakenfold, Avicii and Boys Noize reworking the original tracks.
Reznor and Ross are probably best known for their collaborations with David Fincher, which began with their first score (“The Social Network”) and have continued in all the years since, with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Gone Girl,” “Mank” and “The Killer.” Additionally, the duo have collaborated with Peter Berg (“Patriots Day”), Jonah Hill (“Mid90s”), Sam Mendes (“Empire of Light”) and with Pixar’s Pete Docter on “Soul,” which nabbed them their second Oscar (after “The Social Network”). More recently they contributed the score for Luca Guadagnino‘s “Challengers,” having worked with the filmmaker on “Bones and All.” It is arguably the score of the year. (They have also collaborated with him on the upcoming “Queer,” which is making its debut during the fall festivals.
“Tron: Ares” follows a program from the grid (the titular character, played by Jared Leto) as he enters our world, making him the first AI program to interact with humans. The cast also includes Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Gillian Anderson and a returning Jeff Bridges. It was written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Throne and was directed by Joachim Rønning, a Disney favorite (he directed “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and most recently “The Young Woman and the Sea”).
