The TRON franchise is returning this fall after another lengthy hiatus, as TRON: Ares hits theaters 15 years after Joseph Kosinski’s TRON: Legacy. This time, director Joachim Rønning is at the helm, and the story is taking a sharp turn away from The Grid. TRON: Ares will follow a program that makes its way out into the real world, which will make for a much grittier and more grounded addition to the TRON franchise.
Probably the most obvious sign of that shift is the drastic change in musicians putting together the TRON: Ares soundtrack. Daft Punk did the all-electronic, widely celebrated score for TRON: Legacy. Ares brought in beloved rock innovators Nine Inch Nails to handle its music, let by band founders and Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Speaking to Empire about the sound and feel of the highly anticipated sequel, Rønning explained how the changing of the guard from Daft Punk to Nine Inch Nails sets an entirely new tone for a kind of TRON we’ve never seen before.
“With Nine Inch Nails making the music, this installment will be a little grittier, a little bit more industrial,” said Rønning. “It’s been important for me to contrast The Grid and the real world. In that sense, Nine Inch Nails lends itself perfectly into this new Tron world we are creating.”
The director went on to add that the grounded nature and gritty music will ultimately serve to tell an intensely human story.
“What I always look for in any story is a strong emotional core,” he said. “This film will probably be more emotional than people are expecting. It’s about the cost of being human.”
[RELATED: Disney’s TRON: Ares Director Celebrates the End of Production]
Little is know about TRON: Ares, other than its setting is moved into reality, which is new for the franchise. The main character, Ares, is a program that leaves The Grid and heads out into the world, taking the franchise into some truly uncharted territory.
TRON: Ares stars Jared Leto (Suicide Squad), Greta Lee (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Evan Peters (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Hasan Minhaj (Haunted Mansion), Jodie Turner-Smith (Star Wars: The Acolyte), Arturo Castro (Narcos), Cameron Monaghan (Gotham), and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files). Sean Bailey (TRON: Legacy), Jeffrey Silver (The Little Mermaid), Justin Springer (Oblivion), Emma Ludbrook (Morbius), Leto, and original TRON writer-director Steven Lisberger are the producers, with Russell Allen (Disney’s The Lion King and Snow White re-imaginings) on board as executive producer.
