Jeff Bridges is set to return to the Tron universe! Having portrayed Kevin Flynn in the original 1982 film and reprising the role for 2010’s Tron: Legacy, the 74-year-old actor expressed his enthusiasm for revisiting the character in Tron: Ares during a recent appearance on the Film Comment podcast.
“Jared Leto is the star of this third one, and I’m really anxious to work with him. I’ve admired his work,”
Bridges shared on the podcast.
Walt Disney Studios confirmed Bridges’ involvement by sharing a photo on X (formerly Twitter) that depicted him engrossed in the script for the new movie.
“Jeff Bridges returns to the grid. #TronAres,” the post declared.
Bridges is eager to explore the advancements in technology that will be featured in the latest film, especially considering the significant gap in years since his last Tron appearance.
“When I did Tron: Legacy, we had to put all these dots on our face and all these kinda things,” Bridges reminisced.
“And that’s [probably] all passé. I had to play myself as a young guy — well, as another character, but the same guy, but it was gonna be digitally created.”
Reflecting on the de-aging process utilized in Tron: Legacy, Bridges humorously remarked,
“I think it was [de-aging], but I didn’t like the way I looked in it. I felt like I looked more like Bill Maher than myself. It was kinda bizarre.”
Regarding Tron: Ares, Bridges mentioned, “I hear, in a way, there’s even less AI stuff in this, and [more] practical sets. They’re beautiful sets that I’ve seen.”
The Tron franchise, which began in 1982 with Bridges as computer hacker Flynn, has remained a cult classic.
Tron: Legacy revived the series almost three decades later, with Garrett Hedlund portraying Sam, Flynn’s son, who becomes entangled in the virtual world.
Joining Bridges and Leto, 52, in the cast of Tron: Ares are Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson.
Directed by Garth Davis (Lion, Mary Magdalene) and written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne, the film sees Leto serving as a co-producer as well.
