Disney’s upcoming sci-fi threequel, “Tron: Ares,” has recently announced the addition of two new actors, including a fan favorite from “Shameless” and “Gotham.” Building on the story from the 2010 sequel, “Tron: Legacy,” this latest installment of the franchise will feature Jared Leto as the titular computer program named after the Greek god of war.
Previous casting announcements revealed that Evan Peters from “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” would also have a role, along with Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith.
According to Deadline, the cast of “Tron: Ares” has expanded to include Cameron Monaghan and Sarah Desjardins in undisclosed roles. Monaghan is known for his work on “Shameless” and the Batman prequel series “Gotham,” as well as his portrayal of Jedi Knight Cal Kestis in the “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Survivor” games. Desjardins currently appears in Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” as the daughter of Melanie Lynskey’s character, Shauna.
Expectations were high when “Tron: Legacy” was released in 2010, picking up the story 28 years after the original cult classic from 1982. While the original “Tron” was only moderately successful during its initial release, it gained recognition for its technical innovations and became a beloved cult classic through home video releases.
With an established fanbase and brand recognition, it was anticipated that the 2010 sequel would build a franchise to rival the success of Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.
Although the 2010 sequel turned a reasonable profit, it received mixed reviews, and the initial audience reception was lukewarm. Nonetheless, “Tron: Legacy” achieved enough success to prompt Disney to greenlight a third film, initially titled “Tron: Ascension.”
The plan was for Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde’s Quorra to return, with filming scheduled to begin in October 2015. However, the project was ultimately canceled in May of that year.
Leto’s character in the upcoming “Tron 3,” Ares, is said to have originated from Disney’s original “Tron: Ascension” script. However, significant changes are likely to have occurred in the story during the past eight years of development.
It seems increasingly probable that the new threequel will not feature Hedlund and Wilde’s characters, or Cillian Murphy’s villainous Edward Dillinger Jr. The direction “Tron: Ares” will take without these characters remains unknown, but hopefully, it will fare better than its predecessor.
