If you are a Tron fan (And I know there’s a handful of us out there), you’ve probably approached the prospect of a film like Tron: Ares with skepticism. The star of Morbius, the director of Maleficent 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean 5, and a concept that seemed disconnected from the story established in Tron and Tron: Legacy hardly instilled confidence. But now, we just got news that will hopefully change the game for the upcoming sequel for fans all over!
Kevin Flynn is back on the grid folks! Today, Disney officially announced via socials the return of Jeff Bridges reprising his iconic role as programmer Kevin Flynn, to Tron: Ares. And thank goodness! One simply cannot see any universe where a Tron project isn’t connected to the legacy of Flynn.
Take a look at the official Instagram post below:
For fans of the franchise, Bridges’ involvement is pivotal, showcasing the first sign of true connectivity Tron: Ares has with the rest of the franchise. Naturally we really want the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy to have some narrative continuity with whatever this upcoming release will be about. And this seems to at least hint that there will be some – distant or otherwise.
In both of the previous movies, Bridges played dual roles. Former Encom programmer, and eventual CEO Kevin Flynn, and his Grid counterpart Clu (or the malicious Clu 2.0 in Legacy). And the finale of Legacy insinuated that his character was either destroyed on the Grid, or trapped there, to save his son Sam, and ISO Quorra, sacrificing himself so they could escape to the real world. No “clu” as to whether he’ll be playing a version of Clu, Kevin Flynn, or both in the upcoming sequel. But whatever he’s playing, I’m sincerely just glad the living legend is back in the game!
Tron: Ares will be hitting theaters October 10, 2025! And also stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson!
Stay tuned to The Nerds of Color for further coverage on this one as more news breaks on this title!
