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The upcoming Tron sequel, Tron: Ares, is still shrouded in secrecy–so much so that there hasn’t even been a teaser trailer yet. Former Gotham star Cameron Monaghan–who has also lent his voice and likeness to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Jedi: Fallen Order–has a co-starring role in the film opposite Jared Leto, who will portray the title character, Ares. Via Collider, Monaghan revealed why he felt drawn to the franchise after seeing the 1982 original film and its 2010 sequel, Tron: Legacy.
“I think I first saw the first Tron on a plane when I was younger,” recalled Monaghan. “It was an international flight. I remember watching the original, and I thought it was from the ’90s or something, because it was pretty amazing how a movie from that era could look that amazing, and utilizing computers the way they did.”
“Then I went to the Tron: Legacy premiere when I was 16 years old, and had just done my first movie for Disney at the time,” added Monaghan. “So, that was really cool getting to go to the El Capitan Theater in LA and seeing that on a big screen… That’s a movie that, I think, has now grown a cult fandom, in a similar way that the original Tron did as well, where people thought it was very technologically cool but it’s continued to grow… So I like that those movies have a number of years of separation between them. They don’t come out very often, and every time they do, they show a new era of technology and filmmaking.”
While Monaghan couldn’t share specific details about Tron: Ares, he did tease that the third film will also mark a significant step forward in visual effects.
“I think this one, in a very similar way, is going to really push forward what can be done, from a visual perspective,” said Monaghan. “I would sometimes even come in on days I wasn’t working, because that set was really amazing. A lot of the practical sets were pretty phenomenal, and I would love to go look at those as well.”
Unlike Tron: Legacy, Tron: Ares is a standalone sequel and none of the cast members from the original Tron or its sequel are currently expected to return. There was a previous incarnation of Tron 3 that would have continued the story from Tron: Legacy, but it was cancelled in part due to Legacy’s disappointing box office numbers. Joachim Rønning is directing Tron: Ares, and the rest of the cast includes Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, and Sarah Desjardins.
Tron: Ares will hit theaters on Friday, October 10.
