Jeff Bridges had kicked off the TRON franchise back in the ‘80s, and his character was ultimately given his sendoff in TRON: Legacy. We thought that Bridges was ultimately done with the Grid moving forward, but it looks like he’s going to be returning for the upcoming TRON: Ares.
Talking to the Film Comment Podcast (via Deadline), Bridges confirmed, “I’m heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the ‘Tron’ story. Jared Leto is the star of this third one. I’m really anxious to work with him; I’ve admired his work.”
Disney also shared this photo of Bridges, and if you look in the background, you’ll see his classic helmet from the original TRON:
Jeff Bridges returns to the grid. #TronAres pic.twitter.com/Ib5tnazwHT
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) April 29, 2024
It’s not clear who Bridges could be playing in Ares, but they could always say that his particles just reassembled somewhere else. With Flynn’s program Clu being the primary antagonist of Legacy, it’s possible that they could also find a way to bring him back to cause more chaos.
Then again, the ‘main’ villain of the franchise has always been Master Control and Ed Dillinger, so maybe Ares could be their chance to finally return to the main stage of TRON and become the antagonists that last film was clearly setting up.
Though Legacy wasn’t a critical darling, it was still a cult favorite for a lot of people, and fans have been waiting for years for this follow-up. Sure Jared Leto may not have been the ideal lead, but I’m willing to give Ares a chance to knock my socks off.
TRON: Ares is aiming for a release in Oct. 10, 2025.
