The neon hum of TRON is back, and this time it's red. Disney has released several new posters and the IMAX version of the trailer for TRON: Ares, the long-gestating third entry in the cyber-legend that began back in 1982. The campaign makes one thing clear: this isn't a nostalgic glow-up of past entries—it's an aggressive pivot into something darker, louder, and maybe more dangerous.
The poster (above) plants Jared Leto's Ares front and center, looking across a skyline while flanked by lightcycles and airborne war machines. The color palette tells its own story: gone is the cool blue serenity of the Grid. Instead, red dominates—signaling corruption, aggression, maybe even the intrusion of machine logic into our world. Ares, a program crossing into the flesh-and-blood world, looks less like a savior than an invader. The design recalls early ‘80s sci-fi paperback covers: stark, moody, engineered to unsettle.
And then there's the IMAX trailer watch here. Cut with razor-sharp intent, it doubles down on the epic scale promised by Joachim Rønning's production. The trailer highlights Nine Inch Nails' industrial score—already one of the film's biggest assets—and teases the ensemble cast: Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Cameron Monaghan, and Jeff Bridges returning once again.
Disney's strategy around this rollout is clever. On October 8th, IMAX will host a one-night-only double feature of TRON: Legacy and TRON: Ares, a move that taps into nostalgia while priming audiences for the new entry. The studio also confirmed TRON: Legacy will arrive next month in a 4K Steelbook UHD release—finally restoring its shifting IMAX aspect ratios for home video. For completists, the original TRON is getting the same 4K Steelbook treatment.
The story of TRON: Ares sounds deceptively simple: a program named Ares enters the real world on a mission that could spark humanity's first true encounter with A.I. beings. Simple, but potent—and eerily timed for an age obsessed with machine learning, digital ghosts, and AI fears.
Shot in Vancouver last year, the film pairs the visual precision of Rønning (Kon-Tiki, Young Woman and the Sea) with a script co-written by Jesse Wigutow (Daredevil: Born Again) and Jack Thorne (Adolescence). With Disney betting on IMAX, NIN handling the score, and the franchise's iconic aesthetic reimagined in blood-red neon, TRON: Ares looks set to stand apart from its predecessors.
The film opens wide on October 10, 2025.
What to Remember Before Seeing TRON: Ares
- New Visual Identity
The posters replace TRON's traditional blue glow with aggressive red—signaling a darker thematic turn. - IMAX Event Screenings
On October 8, IMAX will host back-to-back screenings of TRON: Legacy and TRON: Ares for one night only. - 4K Steelbook Releases
Both TRON (1982) and TRON: Legacy are getting 4K Steelbook UHD editions, with Legacy finally including its IMAX aspect ratio shifts. - Industrial Score by NIN
Nine Inch Nails' involvement gives the film an edge distinct from Daft Punk's celebrated Legacy soundtrack. - Release Date Locked
TRON: Ares officially hits theaters on October 10, 2025.
The question now is whether Disney's gamble will resonate beyond the cult base. Can TRON finally cross from niche cyber-legend to blockbuster heavyweight—or will it remain the Grid's eternal curiosity?
