After about a decade and a half, Disney is sending audiences back to the Grid with the upcomingTRONmovie,Tron: Ares. The movie will serve as a standalone sequel to 2010’sTron: Legacy,which fulfilled long-held hopes for the continuation of the beloved science-fiction saga that began withTronin 1982. The 2010 sequel introduced a new character in Sam, played byGarrett Hedlund, the son of the genius programmer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), who enters the program to help his father stop a malevolent program from invading the real world. With plot details for the upcoming sequel safely under wraps, fans have wondered whether Sam will be back, especially given that it will also feature his father, Kevin. Hedlund has now cleared things up in his recent interview with Screen Rant.
Tron: Aresseems designed to breathe new life into the franchise, aiming to draw in a new generation of audience while still honoring its roots. The cast list includes a lineup of young and talented actors working today, with Bridges the only actor from the earlier films confirmed to return. It will certainly be interesting to see how the storybrings back Flynn, given the character’s grim fate in the previous film. His casting, however, sparked speculation that Hedlund could also return as his son, Sam, but in a recent interview with ScreenRant, Hedlund offered a poetic yet clear response, indicating that he won’t be part of this next chapter. Also expressing excitement about what the sequel offers, he said:
“You know, let’s just let that ambiguity rest right up there in the ether. I’m very excited to see what they’ve done with Ares. They worked so tremendously hard to get this one made. They dealt with the obstacles of COVID, the strike, and still got to the other side. I’m excited. I’m excited, and it spreads the love and the reach for The Grid. It’s astounding how much time has gone on since Legacy. But I’m excited that audiences get another injection of Tron, and the programs, and the disc, and The Grid, and a little spice of Bridges.”
Will Sam Ever Return to the ‘Tron’ Franchise?
The Flynns may not be the center of the nextTronstory, but the upcoming sequel appears poised to keep exploring legacy and lineage. The new film introduces Julian Dillinger, the descendant of Ed Dillinger, the original film’s scheming ENCOM executive. Julian will be brought to life byEvan Peters(Mare of Easttown), and the story follows Ares (Jared Leto), a malevolent program that breaks free of the digital world and makes an unprecedented transition into the real world, offsetting the balance in both worlds. And while Sam Flynn might be sitting this one out, the series’ tendency to reintroduce legacy characters leavesthe door wide open for his returnin future installments.
Tron: Areswill also starGreta Lee(Past Lives) as Eve Kim,Hasan Minhaj(It Ends With Us),Gillian Anderson(The X-Files),Jodie Turner-Smith(The Acolyte),Cameron Monaghan(Gotham), andSarah Desjardins(The Night Agent).Tron: Aresis directed byJoachim Rønningfrom a script byJesse WigutowandDavid Digilio. The sequel will arrive in theaters this fall on July 31, 2025.
Tron: Ares
Source:ScreenRant
