Holy crap! This looks amazing! I’ve mentioned before how much of a TRON fan I am. I’ve lamented when I found out we weren’t getting a direct sequel to TRON: Legacy. But after seeing the new trailer for TRON: Ares, any concerns have been completely derezzed!

It has been 15 years since our last trip to The Grid. TRON: Legacy successfully reimagined what coming back to the computer world first discovered by ENCOM’s Kevin Flynn would look like in the 21st Century. Now we’re going to re-enter the grid on October 10, when TRON: Ares reboots into theaters. Before we discuss why I’m confident in this new direction for the TRON franchise, take a look at the trailer for yourself here:

Looks awesome, right? But here’s the thing — a lot has changed in the world since TRON: Legacy hit theaters December 2010. AI is now a looming threat. Tech billionaires have tightened their stranglehold on the world. Their arrogance and entitlement have allowed them to help make key decisions for our country and government, which they have zero knowledge about and with zero accountability. Take a look at the influence Elon Musk had on the Trump administration, and how often DOGE fired essential employees that they had to reinstate because they didn’t know what they were doing.

Apropos of that, TRON: Ares could have avoided the topic of tech billionaire influence on the world, but the trailer suggests they are doubling down on the themes that made the series great. Having Evan Peters’ character influencing military decisions and making choices about things he has zero control over sounds incredibly familiar these days. And the greed behind all of that ties heavily into what TRON has always been about — starting with Kevin Flynn’s battle against ENCOM, then extending to his son, Sam Flynn’s act of rebellion against the ENCOM board.

However, this film will be doing something that was only ever teased about in the first two movies: the consequences of that greed and unearned trust are now rolling over into the real world. It was something that was always on the cusp of happening in the previous movies, but it’s officially happening here. That makes the themes mentioned above much more relevant and interesting because it all has consequences in the real world. TRON: Ares has the ability to showcase the dangers of putting our trust in unqualified individuals who are over-reliant on tech they don’t understand, and high on their own arrogance, and why that could put every human on the planet or even just our own country at risk. I, for one, am here for it!

Bonus: Greta Lee is the lead! Plus there are supporting roles for Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Arturo Castro! Yay for hiring incredibly talented POCs to help steer the franchise into the future!

Can’t wait to head back into The Grid when TRON: Ares hits theaters October 10!

Take a look at the new hi-res poster for the film here: