Summary:
- Jeff Bridges, who played a pivotal role in the previous Tron movies, will return for the threequel Tron: Ares.
- Walt Disney Studios also teased a BTS photo of Bridges reading the script for the third movie.
- It’s still unsure if Bridges will reprise his role as the deceased Kevin Flynn, or as a new program in The Grid.
Tron: Ares, starring Jared Leto, just got a significant boost with Jeff Bridges confirming his return to the iconic sci-fi franchise. After the original 1982 film became a cult favorite, the Tron saga made a high-tech comeback in 2010 with Joseph Kosinski’s direction. Now under the helm of Joachim Rønning, the series is set to explore new digital horizons in Tron: Ares, with Jared Leto as the protagonist, and delves into the adventures of the Ares computer program.
Bridges, who brought Kevin Flynn to life in both the 1982 original and the 2010 sequel, was a much-anticipated addition to the cast. His involvement was confirmed during an episode of the Film Comment podcast, followed by Walt Disney Studios tweeting an image of Bridges on the set, script in hand, marking his official return to The Grid:
Jeff Bridges returns to the grid. #TronAres pic.twitter.com/Ib5tnazwHT
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) April 29, 2024
“I’m heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the ‘Tron’ story; I’m excited about that. It’s wild. Jared Leto is the star of this third one, and I’m really anxious to work with him, and I’ve admired his work. [I’m really excited] to see what the technology is going to be all about [this time].”
Production kicked off in Vancouver in January 2024, continuing the legacy of a franchise known for its pioneering visuals that were way ahead of its time in Tron (1982). The story of Tron is set within the digital realm of “the Grid,” a visually stunning cyber universe inside a computer system. In this digital world, Flynn faces off against the malevolent program, Sark, and the system’s mastermind, the Master Control Program.
With the groundbreaking special effects and unique story, Tron became a cult classic among fans, which led to the production of the sequel, Tron: Legacy, almost three decades later.
Continuing the narrative, Tron: Legacy revisits the Grid after 28 years, following Flynn’s mysterious disappearance. His now-grown son, Sam, inadvertently finds himself pulled into the same digital world. Here, he discovers that his father has been trapped inside the Grid all these years. Together, they face a new enemy, Clu, who is Flynn’s digital doppelgänger and now seeks to invade the real world.
A third Tron movie was teased not long after as a sequel to Tron; Legacy, but the project was scrapped due to various reasons. It is unsure if Sam, Flynn’s son, and Quora will return in Tron: Ares.
At the end of Tron: Legacy, Bridges’ OG character, Kevin Flynn, sacrifices himself to save his son, Sam and Quora, so that they can trap Clu in The Grid forever. However, even if Flynn is gone for good, there are multiple ways Jeff Bridges can return to the franchise without reprising the role.
For example, with Flynn’s real body nowhere to be found in Tron; Legacy, Bridges could reappear not as Flynn but perhaps in a new avatar or a program within the digital world, mirroring his dual role in Tron: Legacy where he also lends his voice and model to Clu, the antagonist.
The ambiguity surrounding Flynn’s fate in Tron: Legacy—where his death wasn’t visually confirmed—suggests that his character might have transcended into a different form within the Grid. This potential twist could provide an exciting new direction for the narrative in Tron: Ares, which is being teased as a reboot rather than a direct sequel.
Tron: Ares will hit theaters on December 19, 2025, hinting at a new chapter for one of its most beloved characters.
