The Tron saga started back in 1982 with Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a genius programmer who got zapped into his computer. Inside the Grid - a neon-soaked digital world where programs look like people - Flynn teamed up with the heroic security program Tron to take down the evil Master Control Program. After some epic ‘lightcycle’ battles and ‘disc fights’, Flynn made it back to reality, exposed corporate corruption at ENCOM - an American multi-national computer technology corporation that developed many important programs and technologies, and rose to the top.
Everything you need to know before TRON: Ares
The TRON franchise is finally coming back to the big screen. TRON: Ares is set to hit our screens on 10 October 2025, and it promises to push the series into bold new territory. This time, the story follows Ares (played by Jared Leto), an advanced program who crosses over from the digital world into our reality. His arrival marks the first face-to-face encounter between humans and AI beings.
To really appreciate where Ares might take us, it helps to look back at the journey so far - from the groundbreaking original film in 1982 to the visually stunning TRON: Legacy in 2010. (Fair warning: spoilers ahead.)
Fast-forward nearly three decades to Tron: Legacy (2010). Flynn had vanished, leaving his son Sam to grow up without him. One night, Sam followed a mysterious clue into his dad’s old arcade… and ended up sucked into a very different Grid. This time, it was under the iron grip of Clu, a program Flynn had created to build the “perfect system.” Problem is, Clu went full dictator mode.
Sam found allies in Quorra, the last of a new kind of digital lifeforms called ISOs, and eventually tracked down his father. Together they raced against Clu’s plan to break into the real world. The climax? A heartbreaking sacrifice - Kevin merged with Clu to destroy them both, while Sam and Quorra escaped. Back in reality, Quorra became human, Sam took control of ENCOM, and the world was left on the edge of a new digital frontier.
Which brings us to Tron: Ares. This time, the barrier between the digital and physical worlds is thinner than ever. ENCOM is back in the spotlight, locked in a rivalry with the Dillinger corporation (the same shady family line from the original). At the centre is the “Permeance Code,” a game-changing tech that could let digital beings exist permanently in the real world.
This exciting new addition comes with an amazing cast - Jared Leto plays Ares, a program stepping into reality, Greta Lee is ENCOM’s new CEO Eve Kim, and Evan Peters joins as Julian Dillinger. Expect ‘lightcycles’, high-stakes corporate warfare, and big questions about AI, identity, and what it even means to be real. The Grid isn’t just a game anymore - it’s coming to us!
Written by Sadie Longden - Social Media Assistant at The Light
19 September 2025