‘Tron: Ares’ Trailer Focuses On The Legacy Of Kevin Flynn … But We’re Still Ambivalent

Disney has released one last trailer for the upcoming Tron: Ares — the third film in its very occasional sci-fi series. This time, Jared Leto stars as Ares, a program from the Grid who makes his way to the Real World via a new Encom initiative. But as Leto is something of a monkey’s paw in terms of successful films and his personal life, this preview focuses more on the Tron series’ original protagonist, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), and his continued presence within the world of Tron.

I’ll be honest. I have always been a huge Tron fan since the Steven Lisberger-directed original came out in 1982. Granted, I had a toy lightcycle and a pop-up book long before I actually saw the film. But once I did, it’s unique mix of early computer animation and a fusion of traditional techniques and live action left me captivated. So much so, in fact, that I was blind to some of the story problems until much later in life. Similar story issues arose in its 2011 sequel, Tron: Legacy — but the aesthetic pushed by director Joseph Kosinski makes it a memorable watch.

This time, though, I worry about the lead. He is … never my first choice for anything. Add in recent allegations about his behavior — hell, consider his history of alleged troubling behavior — and you see why Disney might be leaning into Bridges for this last marketing push. He is the true anchor of the series, after all. And thanks to director Joachim Rønning‘s decision not to feature the characters introduced in Legacy, Flynn ends up being the only human continuity between films. That said, the adaptation of Kosinki’s updates to the Tron aesthetic look remarkably cool in the Real World.

At the same time, when has the “now they’re in our world” plot made for a genuinely good movie?

One thing that will bolster it, though, is a soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails, which continues the series’ focus on great electronic accompaniment. The score to the first film was composed by the legendary Wendy Carlos while Legacy employed Daft Punk. Portions of their work can be heard in the new trailer before the voice of NIN fontman Trent Reznor breaks in.

All of which brings me back to the ambivalence around Ares. It’s doing so much right, but could still end up in a bad place thanks to its star. Time will tell, of course, but at least everyone will get a new banger score to obsess over.

Tron: Ares arrives in theaters on October 10th.