Nearly three decades after Tron‘s release, starring Jeff Bridges, the sequel Tron: Legacy opened to theatres in 2010, which brought back Bridges and witnessed Cillian Murphy playing Edward Dillinger. While it had its flaws, the movie was lauded for its visuals and was deemed a worthy successor of the 1982 sci-fi, which became a commercial success following its collection of $400M.
Moreover, it launched the career of director Joseph Kosinski, who would go on to helm the wheels behind one of 2022’s biggest releases, the Tom Cruise-led Top Gun: Maverick. But to fans’ dismay, the director will not be returning for the sequel to Legacy, which will star Jared Leto at the forefront.
Fans Share Concern Over Tron: Ares Following the Exclusion of Top Gun 2 Director
While it’s unclear whether Jeff Bridges and the rest of the cast will return for the next entry in the franchise, titled Tron: Ares, it’s been revealed that it’ll star Jared Leto at the forefront. Apart from Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Cameron Monaghan are some of the other names that have been assembled for the threequel. But the biggest issue that arose among fans is Disney’s decision to bring Joachim Rønning to craft the third chapter instead of getting back Kosinski, whose career skyrocketed after Legacy.
I am convinced these big companies literally pull random names out of a hat when they seek people out to write and direct their films.
— 🙂 (@myflowstate) November 26, 2023
Well, Jared is coming off the back to back boffo box office of Morbius and Haunted Mansion
— ABNDESIGNS (@abndesigns) November 25, 2023
All part of the Disney philosophy of hiring directors who are primarily unseasoned and pliable, not successful and opinionated
— Michael Henley (@michaeljhenley) November 25, 2023
Disney not getting Kosinski back for this, especially after Top Gun, is just baffling
— Vincent (@buymoriaking) November 26, 2023
— joe tenet (@iwoodrecommend) November 25, 2023
It’s not hard to see why fans aren’t quite sold on the franchise’s future following director Rønning’s track record, who hasn’t quite succeeded in handling pre-established IPs. And keeping in mind that Jared Leto’s recent outings have failed substantially despite his acting prowess, it’s reasonable why fans are hesitant about Ares.
Disney’s Emphasis on Marvel and Star Wars Killed Joseph Krasinski’s Planned Threequel
Before Disney decided to bring in Jared Leto and director Joachim Rønning for the threequel, Top Gun 2 director Joseph Kosinski revealed he did get close to making Tron: Ascension back in 2015. And while he had the whole movie storyboarded and written, Disney ultimately pulled the plugs off the project, as they put their focus on Marvel and Star Wars. He told Vulture:
“When I made Tron: Legacy, they didn’t own Marvel; they didn’t own Star Wars. We were the play for fantasy and science fiction. And once you’ve got those other things under your umbrella, it makes sense that you’re going to put your money into a known property and not the weird art student with black fingernails in the corner — that was Tron.”
While it’d have been enticing to see how Ascension would’ve played out, fans will now hope the threequel from the Pirates 5 creator sticks the landing, which will kickstart filming in Vancouver.
Tron and Tron: Legacy are available to stream on Disney Plus.
