Jesse Wigutow, the writer for the upcoming “Tron: Ares,” recently shed light on Disney’s strategy for developing this new sequel. Unlike major franchises boasting universally recognized figures like Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, “Tron” faces the unique challenge of building on its legacy without relying on household-name characters.
In a conversation, Wigutow explained that conceptualizing a new “Tron” film was a lengthy process. This movie serves as a soft reboot, hitting the big screen a full 15 years after “Tron: Legacy” debuted in 2010. Despite the long hiatus, Wigutow noted that the “Tron” brand has persisted in public memory, often recalled for its distinctive sci-fi visuals and thrilling Light Cycle sequences.
“Tron is a unique franchise because audience expectations aren’t as clear-cut as with others,” Wigutow remarked. “Our starting point was asking: What’s a compelling entry point? What story *needs* to be told? What do people genuinely hope to see in a new ‘Tron’ installment? Ultimately, we realized that, at its core, it’s the iconic aesthetic of ‘Tron’ that truly resonates and endures in popular culture.”
“While a dedicated fanbase deeply cherishes the mythology and characters from ‘Legacy’ and its predecessors,” Wigutow admitted, “I’m not sure the general public feels the same attachment as they do to figures like Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker.” This led to a crucial question: What is the contemporary reason to tell a new “Tron” story? How can the beloved visuals – the glowing light lines, the dynamic Light Cycles, elements so vivid they’re immortalized even at the Shanghai Disney theme park – be woven into a narrative that propels these concepts forward for a new generation?
“Tron: Ares,” set in the near future, boldly shifts from the franchise’s traditional digital realm, integrating its iconic aesthetic directly into our physical world. The film features Jared Leto as Ares and Jodie Turner-Smith as Athena, two highly advanced combat programs. These AI-powered soldiers are engineered for deployment beyond “Tron’s” digital grid, intended for use in real-world conflicts. However, as is often the case with such ambitious concepts, their mission doesn’t unfold as smoothly as planned.
Initially envisioned as a direct follow-up to “Tron: Legacy,” “Tron: Ares” underwent significant delays and a complete retooling over the past decade, emerging as a standalone narrative. Wigutow highlighted how the rapid advancements in technology, especially the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, meant that many of the film’s foundational concepts began to mirror real-world developments much sooner than anticipated.
“This project has been in development for nearly 15 years,” Wigutow revealed, noting the extensive time invested in “Ares.” “What’s fascinating is how exponentially technology has advanced since we first conceived this film. We’ve found ourselves almost ‘chasing’ reality, in a way we couldn’t have predicted. Initially, we thought we were portraying a future 40 years away, even without aiming for a dystopian narrative. Now, it feels like that future is just ‘three minutes away.'”
Intriguingly, Disney considered including an AI-generated character in “Tron: Ares,” but opted against it due to growing industry apprehensions about such technology. This decision is particularly timely, coming shortly after Hollywood collectively pushed back against the debut of the world’s first “AI actress.”
“I believe we’ll see more AI actors in the future,” Wigutow stated, emphasizing the industry’s need to “prepare for it and establish protocols to manage its integration.”
“While AI was a known concept back in 2012 when ‘Tron: Ares’ began development,” Wigutow explained, “it felt more like a theoretical premise confined to research labs, not the ubiquitous public topic it is today. This shift is a huge difference, and I hope it makes the movie more resonant and relatable for audiences.”
He conceded, however, that the notion of a digital Jared Leto super soldier patrolling our streets remains somewhat futuristic.
“Certainly, that’s a very cinematic concept,” Wigutow noted, “but the rapid evolution from AI to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or human-level intelligence, is something we’re witnessing unfold in real-time.”
The increasing digitalization of our world since the original 1982 “Tron” and even 2010’s “Tron: Legacy” is a central theme in “Ares.” The film deliberately reverses the franchise’s typical setting, placing most of its action *outside* of the familiar digital grid.
“Our primary goal was to try something new,” Wigutow explained. “We wanted to integrate the classic ‘Tron’ elements into our own world. While we still spend some time ‘inside the computer,’ within the Grid, we’ve flipped the ratio, so the majority of the story unfolds outside of it. This felt like a fresh and exciting direction.”
“Imagine Light Cycles tearing down a freeway or weaving through a bustling downtown,” he enthused. “That kind of action is incredibly thrilling. Beyond that, the film itself is relentlessly fast-paced – it’s designed to feel almost real-time, much like the exhilarating experience of riding a Light Cycle at Disneyland.”
“From its debut in 1982 to ‘Legacy’ in 2010, ‘Tron’ has always aimed to deliver profound audio-visual excitement,” Wigutow concluded. “We hope to continue that tradition in 2025. Regardless of how individual viewers feel about the plot or any absent characters from the previous film, ‘Ares’ promises an incredibly fun and visually stunning experience, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”
“Tron: Ares” is scheduled to hit theaters next week, on October 10th.