After a 13-year wait, we’re finally heading back into the Grid. The long-awaited sequel to TRON: Legacy is officially in production, after many reports about it over the years. As we heard last year, Disney landed director Joachim Rønning to direct Tron 3, a.k.a Tron: Ares. Rønning has worked with the House of Mouse before, helming the Maleficent sequel, as well as the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film. Tron 3 will star Jared Leto among others, and now Gillian Anderson has also joined the cast.
According to Deadline, in addition to Leto Tron: Ares stars Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Cameron Monaghan, and Sarah Desjardins. Most recently, the third Tron movie revealed that Gillian Anderson had come aboard to the film. But her role remains under wraps as do the roles of everyone except Leto. On that front, the publication further revealed that “Disney has confirmed the pic will follow Leto as Ares, a fictional character who crosses over from the world of videogames to planet Earth.”
The original TRON was a groundbreaking sci-fi film about the world inside a computer system called the Grid. The film used visual effects technology that was way ahead of its time. Disney put a lot of time and money into it, hoping it would be their Star Wars. But the movie never caught on in theaters and barely broke even. However, the tie-in video game was a huge hit, and the movie gained a cult following from years of television airing. As the decades rolled on, fan demand for a sequel grew and grew. Finally, in 2010, future Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski brought us TRON: Legacy.
The sequel, which came almost thirty years after the first film, performed decently in North America but wasn’t the blockbuster overseas that Disney hoped for. But the visuals, and the truly amazing score by Daft Punk, blew everyone away. So, a sequel seemed inevitable. Especially as Disney promoted the TRON IP with two roller coasters in two different theme parks.
We don’t know much about Jared Leto ‘s mysterious Ares in this possible sequel or whether TRON: Legacy stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde will return in some form. If this isn’t a full-scale reboot, that is. Given TRON’s cult status, we’re surprised Tron 3 isn’t a Disney+ series instead of a feature film. But who knows what future Grid adventures could still be in the cards.
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