Jared Leto Talks New ‘Tron’ Universe And Getting It Back On The Big Screen

Tron fans have had a tough seven years since Tron: Legacy came out in theaters in 2010. Many were eager for a sequel that was teased, and even went into production, but was quickly cancelled. Now it seems that Blade Runner: 2049‘s Jared Leto is doing whatever he can to get a new Tron universe on the big screen.

Tron first premiered in 1982 with Jeff Bridges in the lead role as Kevin Flynn. The movie inspired a popular video game of the same name. It took 28 years before another Tron film was conceived with Bridges reprising his role as Flynn.

The second film (Legacy) was somewhat of a sequel where Flynn’s long-lost son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), discovers his father is alive all these years and living within the Tron video game. Sam enters the game, and with the help of ISO Quorra (Olivia Wilde), he tries to save his father and return him to the real world.

The Disney film did okay in the theaters, earning over $400 million worldwide. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film was visually stunning. Fans of the film expected its own sequel which kept getting delayed year by year. The third Tron film was to be titled Tron: Ascension and was officially cancelled in 2015, despite Hedlund and Wilde set to reprise their roles. Tron seemed to be dead in Hollywood, until now.

Jared Leto recently spoke with Collider about resurrecting the Tron story. Leto explained his love for the original film and addressed rumors that began in March about his involvement in an upcoming project.

“It’s something that we’re in discussions about and very much looking forward to bringing to reality. It’s very early days though.”

According to a Hollywood Reporter interview earlier this year, Leto is set to play a character named Ares who appeared in the now-scrapped script of Tron: Ascension. Leto’s Tron film would start its own universe, and not necessarily be a sequel of Legacy.

The original plot line of Ascension imagined programs of The Grid invading the real world, but it’s rumored that will not be the storyline of Leto’s Tron.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYg3XTYHuaN/?hl=en&taken-by=jaredleto

The movie is still in early talks, with no one tied to the project other than Leto. Rumors suggested Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn would be helming the project, but he has since vehemently denied the rumors.

Would you like to see a new Tron universe on the big screen? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Walt Disney Studios]