We’re under two weeks away from Tron: Ares hitting the 2025 movies schedule and reviving the big screen side of this franchise following the release of Tron: Legacy in 2010. However, with the exception of Jeff Bridges reprising Kevin Flynn (or at least something that looks like him), none of the other actors from Legacy are returning for this new installment. Now Garrett Hedlund, who played Sam Flynn, has broken his silence about his absence following the Ares director’s claims about why certain actors didn’t come back.
Earlier this month, director Joachim Rønning alleged to Collider that part of the reason certain Tron: Legacy character aren’t back for Tron: Ares is because “these things are not only creative choices; sometimes actors don’t want to be in it anymore.” Rønning never outright named Hedlund, but considering that Sam was Legacy’s main protagonist, it’s probably safe to say he’s looped in that group. In a separate interview with Collider at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, Hedlund had this to say when the subject was brought up:
A statement like that seemingly indicates there’s no hard feelings between Garrett Hedlund and the people running the Tron franchise. It would have been nice if he’d confirmed if what Joachim Rønning previously said was accurate, and maybe he’ll tell his side of the story after Tron: Ares has been released. For now, if we take Hedlund’s quote at face value, then he’s excited to see this upcoming Disney movie like so many other people.
I’d be lying if I said I still wasn’t disappointed that Garrett Hedlund won’t appear in Tron: Ares. At the end of Tron: Legacy, Sam Flynn escaped from The Grid with Quorra, the last surviving ISO (isomorphic algorithm). Sam intended to retake control of ENCOM and “change the world” with Olivia Wilde’s character. That’s a pretty big plot thread to leave hanging, but alas, Wilde also isn’t returning for Ares. Neither is Cillian Murphy, who cameoed in Legacy as Edward Dillinger, the son of David Warner’s Edward Dillinger from the first Tron movie.
Instead, Tron: Ares functions as a standalone sequel that follows the super-intelligent program Ares, played by Jared Leto, being brought to the real world for a mission. The official Ares plot synopsis says this marks humanity’s first encounter with A.I. beings, so it seems Quorra ended up keeping a low profile. The Dillinger family will still be represented through Evan Peters’ Julian, Edward Sr.’s grandson, and Gillian Anderson’s Elisabeth, Julian’s mother and Edward Sr.’s daughter. Other cast members include Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasnan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan and Sarah Desjardins.