'Tron: Ascension': Details Of The Original 'Tron: Legacy' Sequel Emerge
Image Source: IMDb
Tron: Ares (2025) introduces a new Program named Ares and continues to develop the lore behind bringing Programs from the Grid to the real world. However, Ares (2025) wasn’t always the end goal. Nicknamed Tron: Ascension, this project was the original follow-up to Legacy (2010). Its creation was first brought up in 2010, but eventually faded into development limbo. With the release of Ares (2025), CBR sat down with writer Jesse Wigutow to discuss how it came to be.
Wigutow explained the idea that came first, “There was a very different movie… a script for it with an awesome writer I know well and have much respect for—David DiGilio—who’s also credited story-wise. That film was a real sequel…and it introduced a character named Ares, who was a much smaller role but a real villain. [Jared] Leto was attached to play that part.” The curtains closed on that project, he continued, “We were in pre-production, the studio was spending money…and they killed the project more or less.”
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Image Source: IMDb
Leto was a major contributor for why we got Ares (2025) in the end. Wigutow continued, “Leto never let go of the character and came to me and said, ‘I want to do a Tron film that basically leaves all of the mythology on the side…’ That became the origin of the conversation—really a whole new movie based on this character and his journey toward humanity.”
In a 2015 Collider interview, Quorra actress Olivia Wilde explained what held up production at the time, “The delay has only ever been story, finding the right story. It hasn’t been anything else.” She continued, “And I’m really excited to see what happens to that character when put into the real world…I’m fascinated by all discussions of AI…I think it’s the time to tell this story.” The core of the original plot is still there. Exploring a form of virtual reality and AI as a tool is shown with Ares being intended for governmental use and the rivalry between ENCOM and Dillinger Systems to construct functional digital models in the real world, but the exact focus of the plot was shifted.
Tron: Ares was released on October 10, 2025. As of October 18, 2025, the film has grossed over $73 million. The previous two film installments to the Tron franchise are available to stream on Disney+. Tron: Ares (2025) is available to watch in most major theaters.
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Source(s): CBR, YouTube, Film Stories, IMDb, Box Office Mojo
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