Tron: Ares teaser trailer reveals a chilling AI-driven future, with Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges returning for Disney’s dark sci-fi sequel.
Disney is jacking us back into the grid. The first teaser for Tron: Ares is here, and it promises a darker, more intense digital odyssey than ever before. Jared Leto stars as Ares, a highly evolved program sent into the real world in humanity’s first face-to-face encounter with artificial intelligence. With Tron legend Jeff Bridges returning and a gritty new score from Nine Inch Nails, this sequel brings the franchise full circle—right as real-world conversations about AI are heating up.
Directed by Joachim Rønning (The Young Woman and the Sea) and written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne, the third film in the franchise features an all-star cast including Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson, and the original Tron lead himself, Jeff Bridges.
Premiering its first footage at CinemaCon, the teaser for Tron: Ares offers a look at a world where the digital bleeds into reality. The story follows Ares, a sentient program with a mission that brings him into the human world—marking the first time mankind meets an AI being face-to-face. It’s a timely premise, especially considering the ongoing global dialogue about the risks and ethics of artificial intelligence.
The film’s atmosphere is darker than ever, and much of that tone comes from its pulsating, industrial soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails. For this project, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross return to their roots under the Nine Inch Nails banner, bringing their signature edge to the sonic world of Tron. It’s a notable shift from the more ethereal tones of Daft Punk’s beloved Legacy score, signaling a new era for the franchise—one that’s angrier, heavier, and more analog-meets-machine.
Production on Tron: Ares wasn’t without its obstacles. Filming was delayed due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes—ironically, at a time when the film’s subject matter, AI, was at the center of the industry’s most heated labor battles. “Today was supposed to be our first day of principal photography,” Rønning shared in an Instagram post during the shutdown. “Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone.”
The Tron saga began with the cult-classic 1982 film starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a renegade software engineer pulled into the digital world. That legacy continued with 2010’s Tron: Legacy, which followed Flynn’s son (played by Garrett Hedlund) as he searched for his missing father inside a beautifully rendered virtual reality. That sequel grossed over $400 million worldwide and won fans over with its bold visuals and Daft Punk’s now-iconic score.
Now, Tron: Ares looks poised to bring the franchise into the age of AI with a story as thrilling as it is relevant. And with a powerhouse cast, sleek visual design, and a haunting soundtrack, it’s shaping up to be one of the most anticipated sci-fi releases of the year.
Tron: Ares hits theaters October 10.
