As filming on Tron 3 is currently underway, director Joachim Rønning is building the future of The Grid as we speak. It’s something that’s bittersweet, because while a new sequel to one of Disney’s best sci-fi movies has been long anticipated, it’s not the original concept that director Joseph Kosinski would have been working with on his follow-up to Tron: Legacy.
However, a new interview confirms that while he’s not involved, Kosinski has spoken with Rønning, and the reason why is something I’ve been thinking since day one. While the filmmaker took part in a Top Gun: Maverick watch-along shared on Happy Sad Confused’s YouTube channel, host Josh Horowitz rather naturally asked about Joseph’s massive directorial debut. Part of the updates that came from Joseph Kosinski included this quote about how much he knows about what some have been calling Tron: Ares:
I do have a little bit [of a connection.] I met with the director of the new film, and know a little bit about the approach, because it is related partially to a version that we call Tron: Ascension. But through a different point of view. So I’m real excited to see what they do with it, and thrilled that Tron’s still alive.
Yes, it sucks that the initial incarnation of Tron’s threequel isn’t exactly coming to pass, and I’d still very much like someone to make Ascension’s script available to the fans in some shape or form. At the same time, when Jared Leto accidentally revealed that potential title for Tron 3 upon his casting, I had a strong feeling it wasn’t totally discarded.
What little we know about Tron: Ares (if that’s its real name) is that Jared Leto’s character is an AI who’s about to make contact with a human race unprepared for his arrival. As you might remember from Joseph Kosinski’s past Tron: Ascension rundown, there was talk of an invasion from the machine world into ours. So right there, the relation between ideas is clear.
That's not only the perfect prelude to an invasion, as it also primes Ares to continue the nasty work CLU attempted to get underway in Tron: Legacy. With that in mind, the Tron 3 cast just might turn out to be a roster of “us versus them” combatants after all.
Furthermore, what Tron 3’s potential title could be telling us is that this “different point of view” means we’re following our villain’s journey on The Grid. This also stems from the original pitch for Tron: Ascension, as Joseph Kosinski did tease that it would have included a "character exploration" on how Olivia Wilde's Quorra fit into our world. It’s a lot of speculation, but the more I parse out what Mr. Kosinski has told us above, those few details seem to lead to some pretty major ideas.
There’s no clue as to when the world should expect Tron 3/Tron: Ares to cross over into our world. In the meantime, Disney+ subscription holders are more than welcomed to sort through the Tron Timeline in its current form, thanks to both films and a spinoff series currently streaming.
