'Tron 3' Casting News: Jared Leto in Talks for Lead Role in 'Tron' Reboot
Disney is in early talks with Academy Award-winning actor Jared Leto to star in a third "Tron" movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, their sources have revealed that the studio is in the very early stages of developing another "Tron" movie, and that the Oscar-winning actor is being considered to play the film's lead role.
The development of a third "Tron" film is still at an exploratory stage, without any writer or filmmaker officially involved to work on the movie. However, Justin Springer, the co-producer of "Tron: Legacy" and the executive producer of Tom Cruise's sci-fi film "Oblivion," has been confirmed to produce "Tron 3." Leto and his producing partner Emma Ludbrook will also reportedly be part of the upcoming movie in a producing capacity.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The original "Tron" movie was released back in 1982 and starred Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner. The story was set in a cyberspace called "The Grid," a fantastic world inside a computer program. Although the film was not a massive commercial hit during its release, it drew a significant cult following over the years because of its imaginative story.
A sequel, "Tron: Legacy," was released in 2010. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the movie featured Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. Against an expensive budget, the movie earned $400 million worldwide.
Because of the sequel's commercial success, a third film was planned to be produced titled "Tron: Ascension." This installment of the sci-fi film franchise was supposed to continue the story of Sam Flynn (Hedlund) and Quorra (Wilde), and was meant to be an "invasion movie" set in the real world. However, after a series of shutdowns and restarts for "Ascension," the studio permanently pulled the plug on the planned sequel in 2015.
Should the new "Tron 3" movie push through, it will be a reboot of the "Tron" film franchise and will not be a direct sequel to the two previous films. In the revived project, Leto would play a character named Ares, who was developed in the original "Ascension" screenplay – the "source code" the current film reboot is reportedly being built around, according to IGN.
It is not yet known if Kosinski will return to helm "Tron 3" or if previous cast members such as Hedlund, Wilde and Bridges will be reprising their roles in the forthcoming film.
