Tron: Ares Isn't Shy About Setting Up Another Sequel
Warning: this article will contain spoilers for the end of "Tron: Ares."
The end of Joseph Kosinski's 2010 film "Tron: Legacy" introduced a striking and world-moving conceit. In that film, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) was beamed bodily into a computer mainframe, the Grid, to discover that computer programs are actually conscious, humanoid beings who live in a vast, electric dimension. "Legacy," however, introduces the wrinkle that Programs, while usually built by humans, can actually manifest spontaneously without the aid of a User. This makes them a new species of lifeform. The film ends with Sam escaping the Grid, but with a Program in tow. One of the final shots of "Legacy" is Sam riding on a motorcycle with Quorra (Olivia Wilde) with him. Quorra was previously an all-electric being, but somehow was imbued with a physical body by miraculous laser technology. It was a sequel tease.
At the beginning of Joachim Rønning's new follow-up film "Tron: Ares," however, Quorra is nowhere to be seen, although her origin is recreated. In "Ares," it's established that Programs can be "printed" in the real world without too many issues, using a similar miracle laser. Ares (Jared Leto) is an aggressive security program that is regularly lasered into being by his programmer, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters). Anything Dillinger prints out, however, will turn to dust after only 29 minutes, and Ares would prefer to remain in the real world. The plot of "Tron: Ares" surrounds the acquisition of a mythical Permanence Code that would permit Ares and other Programs to remain in the real world indefinitely.
At the end of the film, Ares of course acquires the Code and moves to Earth, where he becomes an explorer and drifter. In an epilogue, Ares is in a distant country, eating at a café, looking at a photo of Quorra. Quorra seems to have aged since arriving on Earth 15 years ago. Ares aims to find her. No doubt, a fourth "Tron" feature would dramatize their meeting. It's another sequel tease.
Will Ares meet Quorra?
Of course, Ares meeting Quorra would open up an interesting conversation. For instance, Ares could ask Quorra why he worked so hard to acquire a Permanence Code, while she didn't seem to need one. Or perhaps there would be a hand-wavy line of dialogue about how Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) imbued Quorra with a Permanence Code while they were in the Grid together, but that he only did it on the off-chance that Quorra would be released from the bounds of her electric dimension. Both Ares and Quorra could compare/contrast their respective experiences as former Programs, and bond over the foibles of being human. Quorra has a 15-year head-start on Ares, however, so she would play the role of the wise sage.
Or perhaps they would be antagonists. The masterminds behind "Tron" would have to make a fourth feature before we know for sure.
"Tron: Ares" also features a credits cookie that teases further elements of a potential sequel. At the end of the film, Julian Dillinger is busted for all of his villainy, and the police are closing in on his lab, where he mourns the loss of his evil empire. In a last-ditch effort to escape, Julian activates his lasers and inserts himself into the Grid. Once inside, he finds that the electric dimension is ruined, laid to waste by the heroes. In the rubble, he finds a miniature obelisk with an information disk embedded in it.
When he reaches out and touches the disk, electricity zaps up his arms. His outfit begins to change, and for a brief moment, we see that Julian has been transformed into Sark, an evil Program from the first "Tron." Sark was the program created by Ed Dillinger (the amazing David Warner), Julian's late grandfather. Julian, it seems, is fulfilling a Tron Legacy of his own. No doubt a fourth "Tron" movie would feature Quorra and Ares teaming up to fight Sark 2.0. Not a bad idea for a sequel.
"Tron: Ares" is now playing in theaters.