Wondering Why Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn Is Not in Tron Ares? The Actor Himself Explains the Reason

When we think of science fiction, multiple movies have made their mark on Hollywood, but one truly stands out. The flick that redefined VFX and set a golden standard for its time was Tron. While the movie was critically acclaimed, it left fans waiting for quite some time before delivering a sequel titled Tron Legacy, starring Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn. The film became a cult classic, and fans expected Sam to return in the sequel, but sadly, Garrett Hedlund and his character of Sam Flynn are not returning in Tron Ares, and we are here to talk about the reason behind it.

It is clear that Sam Flynn will not appear in Tron Ares and now fans of the franchise are looking for the reason – has the actor backed out from the movie or is it the decision of the director? Let’s see what Tron Ares director and the actor playing the role of Sam have to say.

What Does Tron: Ares Director Have to Say About Garrett Hedlund’s Absence?

When a legacy character, literally, is left out of a much-awaited sequel, the man in the chair needs to have some solid answers for the fans. When the question of Garrett Hedlund’s absence came knocking on Joachim Rønning, the director of Tron: Ares’ door, he spoke to Collider and said that while the absence of most characters previously seen in the movies was a creative choice, he did reach out to a few actors, but they declined to be a part of the movie.

Joachim didn’t take names, but it seems he is referring to actors like Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde in his comment, he said-

“These things are not only creative choices; sometimes actors don’t want to be in it anymore. There are different ways of looking at that, but I think the story fell into a place where we felt that we didn’t need the old characters to be front and centre. We wanted to take this into a new direction while, at the same time, honoring the universe that we’re in. We’re telling a story that’s 14 years later, and the most important thing is that we tell this new story in a way that works. To just throw cameos in, where it’s a parade of people that we love from this franchise, I just feel like it’s fan service that doesn’t serve the story. But we are definitely focused on ways to surprise the audience.“

So, while the director has made a pretty reasonable comment on the situation, one question remains: what does the actor in question feel about it? Well, we have a comment from Hedlund himself, so let’s take a look at it.

How Does Garrett Hedlund Feel About Not Being a Part of Tron: Ares?

Talking about Hedlund, Collider managed to get hold of the beloved actor and ask him about how he feels about not being in the cast of Tron: Ares. Now, while some people might think that he would be bitter about it, it was quite the opposite.

Garrett Hedlund has nothing but enthusiasm and support for the upcoming sequel, and he even said that he would be the first one to walk through the gates of a theater to watch this movie. his comment said-

“Well, first, I can’t wait to watch what they did with this, what they did with Ares. I’m so proud of everybody involved. The producers on that are the same producers that brought Leagacy to life and they just worked their tail off on this one. And so, I’m going to be the first one in the door to go see, and the fans are very excited about it as well, and that’s a wonderful thing.There’s a lot of love out there.“

So, with this much positivity from Garrett, it’s safe to say that fans can stop feeling bitter about the director for not including him in the movie. Now, he didn’t explicitly mention if he turned down the offer or not, but as far as I think, there’s no point in lingering on what did not happen. So, let’s wait and see what Tron Ares has to offer as it hits theaters on October 10, 2025.