Jared Leto Made Tron: Ares' Title Character The Focus Of The Disney Sequel

When "Tron: Ares" was first announced, "Tron" fans were baffled, to say the least. Although the sequel was being made 15 years after "Tron: Legacy," "Ares" involved none of the characters from previous adventures (save for Jeff Bridges' cameo appearance as the supposedly deceased Kevin Flynn, playing a version of the character that's wildly vague). Instead, it not only had a new director in Joachim Rønning and a new writer in Jesse Wigutow, but a new leading role played by Jared Leto. As "Ares" continues to underperform at the box office upon its release, the confusion has only increased, with several pundits openly wondering why Disney thought that Leto, who's been the subject of multiple sexual misconduct allegations and who hasn't had a blockbuster hit under his belt since 2016's "Suicide Squad," would be the right man to bring "Tron" back to theaters.

As it happens, a third "Tron" film probably wouldn't have happened at all were it not for Leto's involvement. During the period when "Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski was attempting to put together a direct sequel entitled "Tron: Ascension," Leto was cast as a new character in that project named Ares. It's not clear what Ares' role would've been in "Ascension." Wigutow told Polygon that the abandoned film was "a very big sequel to 'Legacy'" and a "multi-narrative" story that involved all the prior main characters from the first two "Tron" movies. Whatever the case, Leto apparently latched onto the part, so much so that when "Ascension" was cancelled shortly before production by a sci-fi-shy Disney, Leto wouldn't let it go. It turns out that Leto is a lifelong fan of "Tron," and to rise from the ashes of "Ascension," the star and producer made Ares the focus of the sequel, which ended up getting made.

Leto's push to get "Tron: Ares" made wasn't a matter of just a couple of years, but rather an entire decade. If nothing else, that alone proves the actor's dedication to the part and the project, and apparently, this devotion stems from his lifelong love of "Tron." At a press event attended by Polygon, Leto explained how the original film made a huge impact on his life:

"I fell in love with the very first film — saw it in the theater as a young kid. It changed my life, it really showed me creativity and technology in a way I'd never imagined...For me, [it's] one of the great science-fiction franchises, and I'm really proud to be a part of it."

After "Ascension" fell apart, it was Leto who pitched Wigutow on taking some pieces from that script, making Ares the new lead, and building what became "Tron: Ares" out of that. Wigutow explained:

"[Leto] ultimately came to me and said, 'Let's just build a movie around this character. I want to understand this character, his origins, and I want to take him to a very different place.' So that's really the provenance and the origin of this specific film is Jared's dogged persistence on getting it done, but also telling the story of this character specifically."

While "Ares" certainly doesn't ignore or retcon "Legacy," its love of the original 1982 film is abundant, no more so than when Ares travels inside the 1982 version of the Grid in order to ride a classic Lightcycle and meet Bit and Flynn. In other words, a "Tron" fan is clearly behind "Tron: Ares," and it so happens that the fan used his clout to help get the film made.

Again, it's not confirmed what the "multi-narrative" plot of "Ascension" was going to be, nor do we know what Ares' original plot line or character was. Whatever it may have been, it was Leto and producing partner Emma Ludbrook who told Wigutow that they instead wanted to make "an Ares movie from the ground up." As the writer explained, he then pivoted the film and character to a new place, one that reflects the themes of "Tron":

"Out of that came a one-page document: What if this character is the villain, but [...] then he has a change. He finds elements of humanity that change his programming and makes him want to live like one of us. And what came out of that is what you see."

This is what allows "Tron: Ares" to be as compelling as it is, for while the film is not some epic culmination of the Flynn family story, the new plot justifies the idea of Grid programs emerging into the real world by presenting an AI character who doesn't just gain sentience, but empathy. It's a fascinating and dynamic idea for a film, and it proves that a "Tron" sequel needn't be centered around just a few characters, but can instead go off and explore other protagonists.

Sadly, as much as Leto's ideas as a producer helped "Ares" get made, his weaknesses as an actor hobble the film. To be sure, Leto has his moments, but for the most part seems so wooden that Ares' journey of discovery is never as rousing as it should be. It's great that Leto was so passionate about "Tron" that he got "Ares" made. One wishes that passion were better reflected on-screen as well as off.