Light Cycles at the ready, because Tron: Ares is taking us back to the virtual universe. Jeff Bridges is returning once again for the third movie in the sci-fi franchise, in what promises to be the most gripping installment yet.
This time, things are getting a little more complex. A rogue AI spurs a battle between humanity and machines, with Jared Leto portraying the antagonist. Back in 1982, the original film brought video games to life in an unprecedented way, and the threequel is positioned to be the most ambitious and action-packed installment yet, not to mention the most thematically relevant.
How this movie connects to the first or Tron: Legacy to form a trilogy beyond Bridges remains a mystery. It certainly sets a benchmark for drawn out trilogies, at the very least. All we know is that we can't wait to see Disc Wars on the big screen again, and all to a soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails? Easily one of our most anticipated new Disney movies of 2025.
We've got everything you need to know about the Tron: Ares release date, confirmed cast, plot theories, first-look footage, and more, so you'll be right up to date with the blockbuster.
Tron: Ares release date
The Tron: Ares release date has been confirmed as October 10, 2025.
This date has been a long time coming since the film has been in the works since 2010. In 2020, Garth Davis (who was set to direct the film) stepped down and was replaced by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales director Joachim Rønning. Then, another bump in the road came up in 2023, as filming was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Luckily, there seem to be no more delays in sight, as filming wrapped in May 2024, and now we've even seen the first trailer for Tron: Ares – indicating that post-production is going well. Fingers crossed, we won't have to report any more setbacks before October 2025.
Tron: Ares plot
While plot details for Tron: Ares are currently pretty light, we do know that the film will follow the story of a highly intelligent AI named Ares, who manages to enter the human world after being sent on a mysterious and dangerous mission.
Now, in case you need a quick Tron refresher, this is a series that typically involves humans being trapped in a digital world and having to escape. In the '80s movie Tron, we saw Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer transported inside the software world (known as the Grid) have to work to escape back to the real world. In Tron: Legacy, we see Flynn's son Sam enter the Grid in order to stop the evil program Clu from invading reality.
Tron: Legacy also saw the algorithm that helped Sam on his mission, Quorra, break the boundaries between machine and reality for the first time as it became human. This lines up perfectly with Tron: Ares' premise as it suggests that the upcoming sequel will be building on these ideas surrounding the boundaries between AI and humans. In fact, we even suspect that there may even be a war between the two brewing in the upcoming film.
Our guess about the film pointing towards a story revolving around an impending war between machines and humans is pretty simple. First, the film's titular character is named after the Greek God of War, Ares. Secondly, in Joseph Kosinski’s now-scrapped sequel to Tron Legacy, the director originally teased an invasion storyline between the two worlds.
And, while Joachim Rønning likely has a vision of his own for Tron: Ares, the film's title does hint that Kosinski's ideas may have filtered through into the new script somehow. The war theory does track with what Rønning recently teased about the threequel, telling Empire that "this installment will be a little grittier, a little bit more industrial".
Alongside that quote a new image from Tron: Ares was released which simply shows a suited figure walking out of a vehicle (drenched in neon of course, this is Tron). Whilst this doesn't tell us much about the story, hopefully further images filled with clues will be released soon.
Tron: Ares trailer
The Tron: Ares trailer was recently shown during Disney's D23 Brazil event and got us super excited about the upcoming flick. However, unfortunately the general public doesn't have access to the teaser just yet. But before we all start cursing our Disney overlords, we do have a pretty solid description of what the trailer is like.
As reported by CinePop (translated by Google), "The Tron Ares trailer is a spectacle. Lots of neon and vibrant colors. A futuristic world. We see a new threat emerging. A car is split in half by a red beam. Jared Leto is scary in several insane action scenes."
Given the fact that there is a trailer and that feedback has been positive, meaning that there are only minimal changes needed before mass release, we should be getting the teaser soon. We'll keep our eyes peeled, but in the meantime, you can look over our list of the best Disney Plus movies to keep yourself busy while we wait.
Tron: Ares cast
Jared Leto is leading the Tron: Ares cast as the titular AI, Ares. However, he is also joined by some mega star power, with the likes of Jeff Bridges returning as Kevin Flynn (first seen in the 1982 Tron movie) and Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger.
Now, you may be confused to see Jeff Bridges on the cast list, since Kevin Flynn did sacrifice himself at the end of Tron: Legacy. However, we have to remember that this is a virtual world that we are dealing with, so anything is possible here. Still, we are excited to see how Tron: Ares goes about bringing Kevin back to life.
There's also still a handful of unconfirmed roles for the likes of Jodie Turner-Smith and Cameron Monaghan, whom we are still waiting on.
Yellowjackets star Sarah Desjardins also joined the movie in an undisclosed role. The actress said in an interview in February 2025: "I can't reveal anything about my character at all. I'm sorry. But I just want to say that everybody I worked with, I had so much fun. I love that there's a really good balance of everything in this movie, and I got to be a part of some moments of levity, which was really fun. I can't wait for you all to see it."
Stay tuned for more casting updates!
Below is the confirmed Tron: Ares cast list so far:
- Jared Leto as Ares
- Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger
- Greta Lee as Eve Kim
- Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn
- Jodie Turner-Smith
- Cameron Monaghan
- Sarah Desjardins
- Hasan Minhaj
- Arturo Castro
- Gillian Anderson
Where can you watch the Tron movies?
You can watch both Tron and its sequel, Tron: Legacy, on Disney Plus.
This applies to both our US and UK readers, so ahead of Tron: Ares, the House of Mouse's streaming service is where you'll need to sign up.
For more information on buying a subscription, you can head over to our handy guide breaking down all the Disney Plus prices. But, as a brief overview, a month's standard subscription will cost you £8.99/$9.99.
For more Disney magic, check out our list of the best shows on Disney Plus. Or you can dive into more virtual worlds with our guide on all the upcoming video game movies heading our way.
