Disney has released a new trailer for Tron: Ares, the long-awaited third installment in the sci-fi series, teasing its IMAX debut ahead of its October 9, 2025 release across the Middle East and UAE. The trailer offers fresh footage of Jared Leto’s Ares, a digital Program sent into the real world for what’s billed as humanity’s first direct encounter with AI beings.
The story centers on Ares, introduced as a hyper-advanced soldier capable of respawning, who is brought into the physical world by Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters. While the mission begins under the guise of controlled experimentation, the footage suggests Ares’ presence sparks a series of unforeseen and dangerous consequences.
Alongside Leto and Peters, the cast features Greta Lee, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges—returning to the franchise after his role as Kevin Flynn—and Sarah Desjardins. The ensemble hints at a mix of returning legacy elements and new perspectives on the Tron universe.
Tron: Ares follows the original Tron (1982), which introduced audiences to the concept of a digital frontier, and Tron: Legacy (2010), which expanded the mythology with updated visuals and a cult-favorite Daft Punk score. More than a decade later, Disney appears to be leaning into contemporary themes around artificial intelligence, blending the franchise’s neon-lit digital world with questions of what happens when those creations cross over into reality.
The film is directed by Joachim Rønning, whose recent credits include Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) and Young Woman and the Sea (2024), as well as co-directing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). The screenplay comes from Jesse Wigutow, who has been attached to the project through several iterations of its development.
Whether Tron: Ares can recapture the cultural impact of its predecessors—or redefine the franchise for a new generation—remains to be seen, but the trailer sets the stage for a darker, more AI-driven narrative that reflects today’s tech anxieties.
