The official trailer for Tron: Ares just dropped a few days ago with exciting imagery of light cycles and other light vehicles traveling in the real world outside of the video gaming digital realm of Tron Programs. Ares, scheduled for theatrical release on October 10 2025, is the third installment from the Tron movie franchise, which also includes Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010).
The basic premise from the Tron movies revolves around the internal digital world of the Tron gaming system, where Programs battle Users from the real world. Generally, Users remain in the real world, and Programs remain in the Grid—the digital world. In the Grid, Tron (created by ENCOM programmer Alan Bradley) is a security program that fights Programs (portrayed by Bruce Boxleitner) on behalf of Users in death battles that feature Disc Wars and Light Cycle Races.
Tron (1982) was quite groundbreaking at the time with advancements in blending CGI imagery with live-action photography that has greatly impacted filmmaking. This is most notably still seen in the Ares trailer, with live-action cars crashing into the solid light streams from speeding light cycles. Yes, apparently from the trailer, possibly Tron Programs may have the ability to leave The Grid and access the real world!
In previous Tron movies, only Users were able to come and go (via a Portal) from the real world to The Grid and vice versa. Kevin Flynn, creator of the Tron game and former CEO of video gaming and operation systems company ENCOM was the first User to enter The Grid. In Legacy, we learned it is Kevin’s identity disc that allows him to access the Portal to leave The Grid to return to the real world. However, Kevin was trapped in The Grid for years, leaving his son Sam Flynn to grow up without his father. Following up on a mysterious page from his father's old office, Sam manages to access the code to enter The Grid.
In Tron: Ares, Academy Award winner Jared Leto is Ares - a digital program sent to the real world on some kind of dangerous mission. Given that Sam Flynn was 27 years old in Legacy, and we don’t know what real world timeframe Ares will take place – creators may have an opportunity for continuity and surprise us with Garrett Hedlund (Tulsa King) reprising his role as Sam. And possibly Quorra, portrayed by Olivia Wilde (Don’t Worry Darling), who escaped The Grid with Sam, who is an Isomorphic Algorithm (an Iso) that spontaneously came into being because the conditions were right to do so.
Leto and Hedlund's characters could the impetus of formable Light Cycle and Disc War as either battle mates or potential enemies. Although, it's worth pointing out that Jeff Bridges is listed as an Ares cast member, possibly foiling the presumption at the end of Legacy that Kevin Flynn died. It's possible Bridges could show up as Kevin in a flashback. As of now, Garrett Hedlund is not listed as a cast member of Ares, so Sam may not appear. And yet, we can't help but feel that this may be a missed opportunity, as utilizing Sam and his cycling skills (as seen in Legacy with his high-performance Ducati motorcycle) in any capacity could be fantastic – because Tron movies are at their iconic best during these Light Cycle and Disc War battles (and the inevitable lava-like eruptive crashes).
Additionally, there have been rumors that Ares is a reboot movie, which would also render a Sam Flynn reprise less likely. However, Bridges' reprisal as Kevin Flynn suggests that it is still tied directly to the original, as well as casting Evan Peters (American Horror Story, The X-Men movies), as Julian Dillinger. We know from the original Tron movie that Ed Dillinger was the creator of the Grid’s Master Control Program (MCP) that enslaved Programs and forced them to compete in the death bout games.
Julian Dillinger is likely a relative of Ed Dillinger with a possible similar intent to control The Grid with some kind of manipulating operating system. Whether Ares is a reboot or otherwise with a Sam Flynn reprise or not, I would jump with glee if any version of Bruce Boxleitner’s Tron shows up saying: ” I fight for the Users!”