This weekend, TRON: Ares will take us back to The Grid for the first time since 2010's TRON: Legacy. However, as far as we're aware, the threequel will only feature one familiar face from the franchise that kicked off with 1982's TRON.
That's Jeff Bridges as the returning Kevin Flynn (fortunately, he won't be de-aged this time). It seems there's no room in the movie for Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn, Olivia Wilde's Quorra, or Cillian Murphy's Dillinger Jr., and while the latter's absence isn't too surprising, this is still a disappointing development for fans hoping this movie would serve as a direct sequel to Legacy.
Of course, there's always the chance of some surprises, and TRON fans have been holding out hope that some familiar faces from the past could appear, even if it's just a post-credits scene cameo setting up a fourth movie.
Following yesterday evening's TRON: Ares world premiere, we've learned that the movie doesn't feature any TRON: Legacy characters; however, Olivia Wilde's Quorra is shown in a photo, confirming that she's still in the real world. So, an Easter Egg, but no real cameos.
This will understandably feel like a let-down to many fans, but if the first reactions to TRON: Ares are anything to go by, it may be no great loss. TRON: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski had plans for a sequel, TRON: Ascension, but it languished in development hell for years and was ultimately replaced with filmmaker Joachim Rønning's sequel.
Asked about the perceived lack of cameos earlier this year, he said, "These things are not only creative choices; sometimes actors don't want to be in it anymore."
Producer Justin Springer elaborated by stating, "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," he continued. "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."
TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with A.I. beings.
The movie stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson. Joachim Rønning directs; producers are Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Leto, Emma Ludbrook and Steven Lisberger.
TRON: Ares arrives in theaters on October 10, 2025.