The Tron franchise is turning into one of the more drawn-out trilogies ever made. The first film, Tron, came out in 1982, and told the story of a computer hacker who struggles to escape after he is transported into a digital world. The film was directed by Steven Lisberger and starred Jeff Bridges.

Bridges returned for the movie’s legacy sequel 28 years later with Tron: Legacy. Though Bridges reprised his role, that film focused primarily on his son, Kevin, who gets trapped in the world his father created.

Now, the franchise is back with Tron: Ares. Set for release in October, this film flips the script on the previous Tron movies by focusing on a Program named Ares who is sent from the digital world to the real world in order to complete a mission. Bridges will once again return, with other cast members including Jared Leto, Gillian Anderson, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Greta Lee.

All three Tron movies will have been made in different decades. With these decades come distinct developments and trends in film tradition and differing audience expectations. Tron: Ares also now has a lot of pressure to live up to the movies that came before it, but a recent reveal shows how it can meet these high standards.

The Last Two Tron Movies Used Cutting-Edge Technology

Ares Has To Compete With What Came Before, Plus Other Advanced Blockbusters

The Tron movies are about the digital world, and, as such, heavily rely upon CGI. Even if its effects look pretty outdated now, the original 1982 Tron movie was one of the earliest feature films to rely on computer-generated imagery. And while some other films are credited (e.g. 1973’s Westworld) with having used such imagery beforehand, Tron really created the first CGI world.

Not only was this completely groundbreaking for the time period, but it would impact ideas of how computer generation could be used in filmmaking. CGI is now one of the most relied-upon tools in modern cinema.

Worlds are so often created with CGI in 2025, but Tron managed to do so with far less technology access than what is available today. Without the influence of movies like Tron, the tool may not have been taken up quite as fervently as it has.

Tron: Legacy was released when CGI was becoming far more ubiquitous, but it still made sure to experiment with new tech. It used de-aging technology to age down Bridges, and relied on distinctive light suits that would define the movie’s visuals.

Even with greater technology access now in 2025, Tron: Ares will have a lot of pressure to be innovative. Both of its predecessors pushed technological limits and influenced films after them, so Ares has to think big to meet this standard.

Tron: Ares Sounds Like It’ll Have Its Own Kind Of Technical Innovation

The Director Says The Movie Will Take Things “To The Next Level”

A recent Empire interview with Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning instills some confidence that Ares may be up to par. He ᴀsserted that the film will be taking audiences to “the next level.”

The director went on to outline what that specifically means in Ares. Rønning explained that the movie will involve motion-controlled camera movements in order to create its version of The Grid, which was introduced in Legacy.

The idea of this technology is that it is designed to seem like the camera lens is operated by a machine rather than by a person. As Rønning puts it, “it’s sH๏τ by a robot” in order to capture the idea “that a program is filming a program.” This technique is used to create what the director calls “the Holy Grail of computer graphics.”

So, Tron: Ares is clearly trying its best to live up to the high standard of innovation set by its predecessors. Whether it matches it remains to be seen, but Rønning and his team are at least making an effort.

Will This Be Enough To Help Tron: Ares Stand Out?

If Rønning Is Right, Tron: Ares Can Become A Must-See

There is a smaller gap between Legacy and Ares than there was between the former and Tron, but a lot has happened to film in those 15 years of time. While some claim CGI is overused nowadays, there have been plenty of eye-catching and impressive films that make good use of this skill.

Tron: Ares releases during a particularly tough year to stand out. Just over two months after Ares release comes Avatar: Fire and Ash. James Cameron’s movies are well known for their visual and technological innovation. Avatar 3 will likely be heavily promoted already by the time Ares releases.

For this reason, the tech behind Ares really needs to be fantastic for it to generate conversation. Avatar 3, even without having been released yet, could dominate the CGI on-screen conversation unless Ares really delivers.

If Rønning is correct in his characterization, however, Ares could live up to some high expectations. Regardless of the updated story’s quality, if Ares really is “the Holy Grail of computer graphics,” the movie will be something that audiences are highly compelled to see on the big screen.

This Is A Promising Sign For Tron: Ares

It Shows Rønning Knows What Makes The Franchise Special

While the actual quality of their efforts remains to be seen, the fact that the Tron: Ares team is trying something technologically new is saying something. These franchise movies have always wanted to work in new technology, and are ahead of the curve.

This is something that Lisberger, who directed Tron, ᴀsserts is central to the fabric of the franchise. In that same interview with Empire, Lisberger noted that sometimes things like his film come out that are “too avant-garde” at the time of their release but later, “the real world catches up to it.”

Lisberger sees Ares as “a metaphor for the fact that this technology is moving through every part of our reality.” He clearly outlines what has made the franchise what it is, and where the next installment could be taking things.

Even if it were to flop, Rønning’s efforts for Tron: Ares show that this film is not just another lazy sequel. Rather, it is a legacy sequel that aligns with the original director’s intentions and will put its best effort forward to make something innovative and new.