Nine Inch Nails Drop New Song in ‘TRON: Ares’ Trailer Starring Jared Leto (VIDEO)

Erin Maxwell July 17, 2025, 5:20 pm

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Greetings, programs. Welcome back to the world of TRON. The third installment in the film franchise, TRON: Ares, brings fans back into the high-concept universe first introduced to sci-fi aficionados in 1982.

Directed by Joachim Rønning, it’s been over 15 years since audiences last entered the high-tech digital realm, a world built on themes of AI, evolution, creation, and responsibility. Now, with the new installment, it’s time to re-enter the Grid and see what the next chapter in this visually stunning saga has in store.

Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Disney film, including where to watch it, when it comes out, who’s starring, and the music that sets the tone for this cyberpunk thriller.

When does TRON: Ares premiere?

The film is opening in theaters on October 10 and is available in IMAX.

What is TRON: Ares about?

The third installment continues the computerized saga of programs gone awry in the real world of their programmers.

Though details about the upcoming chapter are still under wraps, the following logline has been released: “TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.”

In the trailer, promises of worlds colliding are sure to ignite the fanbase, with light cycles ripping through vehicles, light ribbons illuminating the night sky, and an errant A.I. program rampaging through the city as digital chaos spills into reality.

Who stars in TRON: Ares?

The film stars Oscar-winner Jared Leto as Ares, introduced as “the ultimate soldier” and an A.I. configuration who runs amok in the real world. He is described as “biblically strong, lightning fast, supremely intelligent.”

Evan Peters plays Julian Dillinger, the CEO who creates and markets Ares as a super soldier, proclaiming, “If he is struck down on the battlefield, I will simply make you another.” Tapping into tech bros who promise the world and deliver destruction, Dillinger is a mogul whose master plan might be his undoing.

Also starring in the film is Greta Lee as Eve Kim, while the rest of the cast includes Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson. Plus, Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn from the first two films.

How did TRON: Legacy end?

Kevin Flynn (Bridges), his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund), and ISO program Quorra (Olivia Wilde) are on the run from Clu (also Bridges), a digital clone of Flynn. Flynn sacrifices himself by merging with the evil entity, allowing Sam and Quorra to escape the Grid into the real world and a digital being to enter the real world for the first time. The film ends with the two riding off into the sunset together.

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Who is creating the music for TRON: Ares?

Music has always been an integral part of crafting the world of TRON. In the original film, music visionary Wendy Carlos, the mastermind behind the soundtracks for A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, composed the score. The soundtrack for Tron: Legacy was created by the French music duo Daft Punk, with their track “The Game Has Changed” prominently featured in the first trailer.

For TRON: Ares, Nine Inch Nails will compose the score — a first for the industrial band. However, founding member Trent Reznor and his musical partner Atticus Ross are no strangers to film composition, having created scores for over 20 films and earning two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a Grammy, and an Emmy along the way.

For the film, the band debuted the song “As Alive as You Need Me to Be,” the soundtrack album’s first single and the first official music from the band in five years. The track is featured in the new trailer for TRON: Ares.