The Tron movies are something we would like to leave in the past because that’s where it all began. The first one has gathered a significant cult following and many films and shows have chosen to parody it. It’s easy to understand why, given that the virtual world of that universe is a very unique one. Call it a video game world, but wouldn’t it be so cool to just put yourself in that video game world? Yes, it most certainly would. I think that is every young gamers dream, but nowadays, we could just play VR. That’s about as close as it gets to feel like being in the game itself, but if only the idea of Tron existed in real life.
Since we’re on the subject of Tron, I think I should bring up the long-awaited sequel to the 2010 sequel to the first movie. As we all remember, Tron: Legacy was highly anticipated, but didn’t really live up to the hype. Now there were some good things about it, especially the production design and the visual effects, but the story and characters fell a bit flat. The first time I watched it in 2010 was actually the only time I would watch it. I just felt no reason to revisit Tron: Legacy, especially since it killed off the main protagonist of the first movie, Kevin Flynn.
You have to wonder, can another Tron movie happen without Jeff Bridges? Maybe it can, but I feel like the franchise would be cutting off its right hand with its left. Is Kevin Flynn’s son a strong enough character to carry on the franchise? I personally don’t think so, but Olivia Wilde’s character seemed interesting enough. The idea of an algorithm creation living in the real world and adapting to it sounds like a cool idea, but it would all eventually have to lead back to the Grid.
The Quorra character is the legacy of Kevin Flynn through his time spent in the Grid. And how will she carry on his legacy alongside his son, Sam? The answer is whatever we’ll be seeing in Tron 3. The problem is, this threequel has been in development for a while now, even landing a Hollywood superstar like Jared Leto in the undisclosed leading role. In a since-deleted tweet, Jared Leto seemingly confirmed the title of the long-awaited sequel, simply known as Tron: Ares. With this curious tweet, Leto may have confirmed that he’ll be playing a character called Ares. Sounds cool, but that’s really all we have to go on.
This Tron: Ares movie did land a director, with Garth Davis being signed on to helm the project. On top of that, the project also landed screenwriter Jesse Wigutow to write the script. All the essential ingredients have been added to this recipe, but that was all we ever learned. Since 2020, any further details on the project are seemingly being kept in the development room. Will this long-awaited sequel actually happen? Given that it is indeed a sequel to Tron: Legacy and not a reboot, I can see the events of Legacy being referenced, but I wouldn’t count on Olivia Wilde or Garret Hedlund returning. That’s a bit unfortunate, since Quorra was a cool character who didn’t get enough development, but the Grid is bound to create cooler characters.
Despite Tron: Legacy not being nearly as well received as the first movie, it has gathered a loyal cult following over the years. That’s good for the franchise, but is it enough to spark enough interest that will spawn a successful third movie? By now, I’m still willing to wait a little longer for that movie, but I’ll need more details before I officially get excited. I like that Jared Leto is involved and I like the supposed title, but most of all, I would really like to see the updated Grid by today’s standards. Just imagine how cool it will look, considering how far film technology has come since 2010.
Speaking of Jared Leto, he actually did reveal in an interview with Screen Rant in relation to the progress of Tron 3. It really isn’t much of an update, but he did say that they were working on it and a possible reveal could be coming sooner or later. In this case, I really hope it comes sooner. Now granted, what Jared Leto said didn’t really confirm anything too specific. He didn’t say anything about the plot or his character, but he is well aware that people are still curious about it. If what he says has any validity behind it, then we could be getting a official confirmation on Tron: Ares in the near-future.
I personally hope we do get some kind of confirmation soon, even if it’s just the official title. I wouldn’t expect any footage, but I would like to see a few images of Jared Leto’s character. Is Ares another program created in the Grid or is he a human character? I just really want to see how the Grid has evolved with the passing of Kevin Flynn and with the advancement of technology. It should set the stage for this sequel and give us some breathtaking visual effects. That’s step one, and step two would be giving us a story that doesn’t rely completely on visuals. That is where Tron: Legacy fell flat and that is where Tron: Ares needs to correct that mistake. And yes, I do really hope that is the title, because it sounds cool.
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