Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn was set up a major future storyline at the end of Tron: Legacy, but will the upcoming Tron: Ares follow that up? Aside from a few rough plot points, not much is known about the upcoming sequel’s story. The Tron: Ares trailer reveals little more aside from the creation of Jared Leto’s Ares program, the return of Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn, and the Grid’s attack on the real world.

The trailer generated a lot of buzz upon its release, especially regarding Tron: Ares‘ soundtrack by Academy Award-winner Trent Reznor. But the trailer also generated a few questions regarding Tron: Ares‘ cast. Aside from Bridges, there don’t appear to be many actors reprising their roles from Tron: Legacy. And because of the way the last sequel ended, one omission from the cast list is particularly noteworthy.

Garrett Hedlund Is Not Confirmed To Be In Tron: Ares

Heavy Script Changes Eliminated Sam And Quorra

There’s been a lot of confusion as to whether Tron: Ares is a sequel to Tron: Legacy at all. The original plan for the sequel was to follow Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde’s Quorra from where they left off in Legacy, but Tron: Ares was later reconceptualized as a reboot of the franchise. The script was then revised again as a sequel, but one that was meant to act as a standalone rather than a direct follow-up to previous events.

As a result of this change, neither Hedlund’s Sam nor Wilde’s Quorra have been confirmed to appear in the newest installment. That’s not to say that earlier versions of the script were entirely abandoned. In fact, the Ares program played by Jared Leto is actually a holdover from earlier screenplay drafts (via The Hollywood Reporter). Not only was he in the reboot script, but he was in the sequel script developed before Disney shifted their plans. This leaves open the possibility for a pleasant surprise when the film releases on October 10, 2025.

Garrett Hedlund Has Teased Tron: Ares Could Continue Sam Flynn’s Story

Tron: Legacy Suggests Sam Should Be In Charge Of ENCOM

Sam takes over ENCOM at the end of Tron: Legacy after bringing a program into the real world. That’s exactly what CLU was trying to do in the film, albeit for more nefarious purposes, but it appears that the тιтular Ares in Tron: Ares may finally complete CLU’s plan. Since there was previously only one idenтιтy disc that allowed for this sort of interdimensional travel, the upcoming sequel may have to stretch to come up with a new excuse for the invasion. But Garrett Hedlund’s interview with Collider suggests that Sam could play a role after all:

“I know how hard everybody’s been working within the world of The Grid. I’m really proud over all the obstacles they have with that one to see it come to fruition. And who knows? Maybe it’s not the last anyone will see of Sam and Quorra.”

Hedlund also revealed he saw footage back in October 2024, supporting the theory that he might be involved with the film. Considering the trailer shows the invasion happening right in front of ENCOM, it makes sense that their current CEO might step up to fight. And between Morbius and Blade Runner 2049‘s box office failure, selling this movie on Leto alone might not be great marketing. But if Tron: Ares doesn’t feature Sam Flynn this time around, hopefully it’ll at least set him up for a sequel return that fans won’t have to wait another 15 years to see happen.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Collider