- Tron Ares is not a direct sequel to Tron: Legacy.
- The movie takes certain elements from Legacy and the original Tron movie, but does a thing of its own as a soft reboot.
- Tron Ares is set to release in theaters on October 10, 2025.
Few franchises embody the union of technology and imagination quite like Tron. The original 1982 film introduced audiences to a digital world unlike anything seen before, while Tron: Legacy in 2010 expanded that universe with modern visuals, deeper philosophy, and Daft Punk’s unforgettable soundtrack. Now, with Tron: Ares set to release, fans are wondering: how does Tron Ares connect to Tron Legacy and the original Tron movie? Let’s find out.
What Happened in the First Tron Movie?
The first Tron followed Kevin Flynn, a programmer pulled into the digital Grid, where he teamed up with Tron, a security program. Together, they fought against the Master Control Program in a story that blended action with questions about control and digital life. Beyond its pioneering visuals, the film planted seeds about human relationships with technology, which Ares is expected to grow into a larger exploration of AI entering our world.
Tron: Legacy’s Reimagination of the Grid
When Tron: Legacy arrived almost three decades later, it gave the Grid a slick new look and pushed the story into more complex territory. We see that Kevin Flynn was trapped inside, and his son Sam found his lab and accidentally transported himself to the Grid. Clu, a rogue duplicate of Flynn initially built to help design and maintain the Grid, is bent on reshaping reality. The film also introduced ISOs, programs that emerged spontaneously, hinting at digital life evolving beyond its creators’ control. While the movie didn’t dominate the box office, its striking visuals and soundtrack earned it cult status.
Is Tron: Ares Connected to the Previous Tron Movies?
The answer to that is neither yes nor no; it hangs somewhere in the middle. Jared Leto plays Ares, a powerful program sent into the real world on a mission, marking the first true intersection between human and digital existence. In many ways, this directly extends what Legacy set up with the ISOs: programs blurring the line between code and life. Ares asks the next question: What happens when beings quite similar to the ISO’s leave the grid and confront humanity face-to-face?
Moreover, it has previously been confirmed that Tron: Ares will not work as a direct sequel to Legacy but is more of a soft reboot to the franchise. While it will retain certain elements of the previous movies, such as Jeff Bridges returning once again as Kevin Flynn.
It will give Ares a direct connection to both earlier films. Corporate players tied to ENCOM and the Dillinger legacy also hint that conflicts from the original movie still matter. At the same time, the film brings in new faces like Greta Lee, Evan Peters, and Jodie Turner-Smith, ensuring that while Ares honors its past, it also moves the story forward with fresh perspectives..
In simple terms, Tron: Ares retains the spirit of the franchise that has been passed on in the first two movies, but while doing so, it also stays true to itself. So, with that being said, let’s wait for October 10, 2025, to see what the reimagined world of Tron has in store for us.
