Tron: Ares

Tron: Ares (stylized as TRON: Ares) is an upcoming American science fiction action film directed by Joachim Rønning from a screenplay by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne. It is a standalone sequel to Tron: Legacy (2010) and the third installment in the Tron franchise. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan and Gillian Anderson, with Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn from the previous installments.
Development of a sequel to Tron: Legacy began in October 2010 by franchise creator Steven Lisberger. In March 2017, plans shifted toward a reboot with Leto playing a new character. Garth Davis was set as director in August 2020 when Wigutow was working on the script, but stepped down in January 2023. Rønning replaced him a month later. Production was expected to begin in August 2023 but was delayed by the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Filming ultimately began in January 2024 in Vancouver and wrapped in May. By August, industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails was composing the score.
Tron: Ares is scheduled to be released in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on October 10, 2025.
Development of a sequel to Tron: Legacy was announced in October 2010 by franchise creator Steven Lisberger, with Legacy screenwriters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz set to return. In April 2011, director Joseph Kosinski stated the script was still in development, and that it would follow the characters of Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde's Quorra in the real world. On March 31, Kosinski said that the film's script was expected to be finished in two weeks and its working title is TR3N. In June, it was reported that screenwriter David DiGilio was hired to write the screenplay, as Kitsis and Horowitz had dropped out to develop their television series Once Upon a Time. In March 2012, Bruce Boxleitner stated he believed filming could potentially begin as early as 2014, after Kosinski was available following his commitments to the film Oblivion. In June, Kitsis and Horowitz stated that they were still involved with the project, though by December, Jesse Wigutow had been hired to rewrite the script. That same month, Boxleitner and Hedlund were confirmed to be returning for the sequel.
In March 2015, it was revealed that Disney had officially greenlit the third film with Hedlund, Kosinski and Wilde set to return, and production due to begin in October in Vancouver. However, in May, it was announced that Disney had scrapped the film, which would be confirmed by Wilde the following month. It was stated the reason for the cancellation was a result of the box office failure of Tomorrowland. In July, Boxleitner announced the cancellation of the film had ended his interest in returning to the franchise, while in September, Hedlund would state he was told that the sequel was not "totally dead", and would be interested in returning should a new film be announced.
In August 2016, Brigham Taylor, then a development executive at Disney, revealed discussions were being had about Tron's future. In February 2017, during a Q&A session with Kosinski, he would state that the sequel was in more of a "cryogenic freeze" as opposed to completely cancelled. He would attribute Disney's then-recent acquisition of Lucasfilm and Marvel as reasons for Tron being put on the backburner.
In March 2017, despite Kosinski's remarks the month before, it was reported the franchise would be moving towards a reboot instead of a Legacy sequel, with Jared Leto attached to portray a new character named "Ares", a character that was retained from prior iterations of a sequel script. In August 2020, Garth Davis was hired to direct the film, with Wigutow still involved to write the screenplay. Patrice Vermette at the time had been hired to serve as the film's production designer.
In March 2022, while promoting Morbius, Leto confirmed that the film was still happening. By January 2023, Davis had exited as director, with Joachim Rønning entering negotiations to take the directing job. Vermette would also depart as production designer. In June, Evan Peters, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith joined the cast, and Jack Thorne was revealed to have written a draft of the script. Cameron Monaghan and Sarah Desjardins would be added the following month. In January 2024, Gillian Anderson joined the cast in an undisclosed role.
Principal photography was scheduled to begin in Vancouver on August 14, 2023, but was postponed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Following the conclusion of the strikes in early November 2023, filming was reportedly set to begin in early 2024. However, in late November 2023, it was announced that production on the project would officially begin following the holiday season of the same year. In January 2024, Rønning revealed production had begun, under the working title Velcro. Jeff Cronenweth serves as cinematographer. A first look image was released by Disney in February, with Hasan Minhaj and Arturo Castro added to the cast. Production occurred on the Cambie Bridge overnight on March 15. In April, Jeff Bridges, who portrayed Kevin Flynn and Clu in the previous Tron films, confirmed his involvement in the film. Filming wrapped on May 1.
Tyler Nelson serves as the editor.
Nine Inch Nails was announced in August 2024 to be providing the score for the film, taking over from Daft Punk, and marking the first time Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have composed a film score under the name of their band. Prior to Tron: Ares, the two composed together twenty soundtracks, which were credited with their own names.
When talking about Tron: Ares, Reznor explained that taking the Nine Inch Nails name influenced their approach to scoring, putting them in a "grittier" mindset and allowing them to "play by different rules", something Disney was pleased with.
Tron: Ares is scheduled to be released theatrically on October 10, 2025, including engagements in IMAX.