Jeff Bridges Will Return in Tron: Ares

Movies

Jeff Bridges, who starred in the 1982 sci-fi film Tron, spoke with the Film Comment podcast about reprising his role of Kevin Flynn in the upcoming sequel Tron: Ares. This is the third installment in the Tron saga (not including the animated series Tron: Uprising) after 2010’s Tron: Legacy, which also featured Bridges as Flynn; the film’s villain, Clu, the personification of the computer system Flynn built, was brought to life with Bridges’ face digitally placed on actor John Reardon. Tron: Ares also stars Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Sarah Desjardins. The titular role of Ares will be played by Jared Leto, and the film is directed by Joachim Rønning, with Justin Springer, Jeffrey Silver, and Emma Ludbrook producing. Check out Bridges’ comments here via Variety:

“I’m heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the Tron story,” Bridges said. “Jared Leto is the star of this third one. I’m really anxious to work with him. I’ve admired his work.” (When reached by Variety, a rep for Bridges said the actor taped the podcast “a while ago” and had already concluded his work on “Tron: Ares.”)

“There’s going to be even less AI stuff” in Tron: Ares, with the film using more “practical sets” than 2010’s Tron: Legacy. “There are beautiful sets that I’ve seen,” he said. “So we’ll see.”

I’m not exactly looking forward to Tron: Ares; far from it. I liked Legacy okay, and honestly, I always thought the first Tron was just okay, too. The special effects are incredible, especially for the time, but the characters are paper thin. I love Jeff Bridges, and it’s nice to hear that he’s excited for the movie. I’m actually very interested in seeing the practical effects on display in Tron: Ares. However, I don’t share his enthusiasm for Jared Leto. I don’t hate him, but he’s not my favorite actor, either. But like Bridges says at the end, we’ll have to wait and see.