TRON: Ares Footage Reaction: Disney's Sci-Fi Franchise Goes Horror With A NIN Soundtrack [D23]

Who's ready for some more biodigital jazz, man? Throughout its 40-plus year existence, the "TRON" franchise has always been a little too far ahead of the curve for its own good. Steven Lisberger's original 1982 "TRON" film was notoriously overlooked by the Academy in spite of its groundbreaking computer-generated visual effects, and even Stan Lee didn't really get what Lisberger was going for. When Joseph Kosinski's "TRON: Legacy" arrived 28 years after that, it similarly pioneered digital de-aging and the legacy sequel formula at a time when neither of those things were in vogue. Nevertheless, the forward-looking sci-fi property has gained a loyal following over the decades, which explains why we're currently awaiting a third movie in the form of "TRON: Ares."

Whereas the original "TRON 3," the canceled "TRON: Ascension," would have been more of a direct continuation of "Legacy," this new film shifts its focus to the eponymous character — a heretofore unknown program played by Jared Leto from the virtual realm known as The Grid. Joachim Rønning is calling the shots here, which is also a change of pace for the franchise. Unlike Lisberger and Kosinski, the Norwegian director isn't known for pushing the envelope when it comes to filmmaking technology and has evolved into a journeyman for Disney, helming "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," and "Young Woman and the Sea" back-to-back-to-back since 2017.

That being the case, all eyes were on the first-look "Ares" footage unveiled at this year's D23 Expo — including the eyes of /Film's Jacob Hall, who was present for the event's Disney panel — to see what technical innovations it may or may not have hiding up its sleeves, and he found the footage much more impressive than anticipated.

Jeff Bridges took the stage first and revealed that the movie is about the digital citizens of The Grid coming into the real world, rather than people going into the grid again. Bridges also added that he has but a small role in the movie. New cast members Evan Peters, Greta Lee, and Jared Leto also took the stage to share some information on their characters.

First logo for 'TRON: ARES'

In theaters in October 2025. pic.twitter.com/hMwVTMofvU

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 10, 2024

Peters is playing Julian Dillinger. The last name is not an accident. In the first "TRON," Edward Dillinger (David Warner) is the head of ENCOM. This is the guy who stole an idea from Flynn (Bridges), which is what Flynn was able to acquire by destroying the Master Control Program. So there is history here.

Lee, of "Past Lives" fame, is playing Eve Kim, who is described as a brilliant programmer, which allows Ares to come into our world. Speaking of Ares, he'll be played by Leto. His character appears to be the villain of the piece, described as a master of the Dillinger Grid. He's essentially a program looking for a way to make the real world his own — permanently.

Also of note, Nine Inch Nails is doing the theme music for the movie. Trent Reznor is known for his work on scores for films like "The Social Network" and "Soul," but this is him in full NIN mode. Hall described the music they played during the footage as "loud and abrasive," as well as "truly rattling." If we can't have Daft Punk, this is a fantastic replacement

The footage kicks off with Peters' Julian Dillinger entering a room. "Is man alone?" he questions. "Intelligent life exists, but not out there. In here." The idea is that they're bringing intelligent life to us, rather than us going to them. We then see a character in flowing black and red armor. "I came here to find something," we hear. This is Ares, who wanders through our world, rain pouring down on him. He touches the water with curiosity. He's confronted by a helicopter. "What are you?" he's asked. We then see light cycles and giant Recognizer ships moving through the city.

We then see characters in armor preparing for a battle. Images of "TRON" technology overtaking our world, hovering over cities. Ares is seen leading the cops on a chase in a light cycle. He triggers a giant light wall, cutting a cop car in half. Flynn is in a white robe, glowing white triangle on his chest, looking like a cyber Gandalf. He tells someone "We need you, program." TRON, is that you?

There's a beautiful image of two characters in that glowing "TRON" armor on a hoverbike, flying over water, with the sky full of "TRON" buildings and vehicles. It all feels very "Blade Runner" inspired. The images of the "TRON" world overtaking our own have a real eeriness to them. Hall suggests there was a horror vibe to the footage, like an alien invasion film. Hall also added that the "TRON" vehicles and buildings taking over our world and bathing it in glowing red light was strangely powerful, before adding that "it felt scary and weird."

"TRON: Ares" is set to hit theaters on October 10, 2025.