Actor Cameron Monaghan has teased that Tron: Ares will have groundbreaking visuals like its 2010 predecessor, Tron: Legacy. He discussed how the upcoming sequel would “push forward” the visual elements and the excellence of the project’s physical sets, in his recent interview with Collider.
Tron: Ares will serve as a standalone sequel to the original 1982 film and its 2010 sequel, both of which had Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn. As per the official synopsis, Ares will focus on the titular highly sophisticated program (played by Jared Leto), which is sent to the real world from the digital world on a mission that is brimmed with tons of danger, marking humankind’s first-ever encounter with artificial intelligence.
With Collider, Monaghan hailed the forthcoming sequel as a groundbreaking visual spectacle.
“I think this one, in a very similar way, is going to really push forward what can be done, from a visual perspective,” the Gotham actor said. “I would sometimes even come in on days I wasn’t working, because that set was really amazing. A lot of the practical sets were pretty phenomenal, and I would love to go look at those as well.”
Tron: Legacy primarily thrived on its mesmerising visuals, Daft Punk’s phenomenal score, and Bridges’ compelling performance as Kevin Flynn/CLU. It also cleverly referenced the original 1982 Tron, connecting with fans of the first film. However, it suffered from a very thin plot, which was generic and predictable. The father-son dynamic between Kevin and his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) failed to leave an emotional impact on the audience. In addition, the characters themselves weren’t fleshed out enough to be truly relatable or interesting. Another factor that stopped Legacy from being a fantastic sequel was its inability to explore the society and culture within The Grid in more detail.
Like Legacy, Tron: Ares cannot just rely on spectacular visuals. A well-developed storyline with intriguing characters would definitely make it better than Legacy. Ares should delve deep into the connection between AI and humans, and the impact that the former leave on society. Moreover, it has to take care of its leading man, Jared Leto. While Leto is a talented actor with an Oscar win, his past few films haven’t been huge box-office successes. His last financially successful project was Suicide Squad (2016), which was, however, a critical disaster.
Tron: Ares will arrive in theatres worldwide on October 10, 2025. It stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Cameron Monaghan, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Gillian Anderson, Arturo Castro, and more. Stay tuned for more updates.