After spending over a decade in development, Disney's Tron: Ares is officially heading to the big screen. It’s been an incredibly long wait for fans of the sci-fi movie franchise, but after it was announced that the third Tron film had wrapped production, there was certainly reason to be excited. The film's cast, including Jared Leto, Greta Lee and legacy cast member Jeff Bridges, is finally ready to talk about making the film. On that note, Leto just revealed that his costume weighed 45 pounds. Thankfully though, the Oscar winning actor thought it was all worth it.
Some early Tron: Ares footage was shown at the D23 Expo this weekend, which was reportedly a big hit amongst attendees. The movie is set to bring in topics surrounding AI and advancing technology, making it culturally relevant for today's sci-fi-viewing audience. After the trailer debuted, the Tron 3 cast took the stage to chat about the upcoming 2025 movie and what it was like making such a film that's part of such an iconic franchise. Leto, for his part, opened up about how much wearing his costume meant to him personally, and why it didn’t bother him that the over-the-top duds were extremely heavy. He told People amid the D23 festivities:
Putting on the suit was a big deal for me. … And they built an amazing suit. I think I probably could have used the suit in the real world in certain circumstances, like wearing a piece of armor head to toe. It's about 45 pounds, but still flexible. But when you put it on, you feel like a warrior — and Ares, like the name, is indeed a warrior.
Jared Leto famously likes getting into character as much as possible and has been called a “method actor” by many. Having such a physical suit was likely part of this process, allowing him to fully feel the weight of the armor as his character would in the Grid. It’s good that the costume was flexible, considering the amount of movement the Morbius actor was likely doing in the suit. Early images released of the outfit look intense -- but perfect for the Tron universe -- so the heaviness was clearly worth it, at least visually.
There’s also something like a physical suit that looks so great on screen. The bright lights of the Tron suits in the original totally add to the aesthetic, and give the movie a sense of realism (well, as much realism as you can have in a film set in a digital world). Movies have used CGI suits for characters in the past, as Iron Man’s armored suit often incorporated digital components, and the MCU Spider-Man suit also utilized CGI in many of the action shots. This sometimes can work, but having something tangible really makes the visuals pop and feels so much more immersive. I’m happy that Tron: Ares went in this direction, even if some visual effects will likely be added to the suits in post production.
Even though armor featured in various films may look great on screen, it's historically never all that comfortable. Emily Blunt has been honest about the back pain the Edge of Tomorrow suits have caused her since she made the movie. Meanwhile, Florence Pugh said her chain mail from Dune: Part Two was uncomfortable to wear. Nevertheless, these heavy costumes are never without a purpose and are often essential to capturing the feel of a fictional world. I’m glad Jared Leto embraced this not-so-nice aspect of making Tron: Ares, and I can’t wait to see how these suits really glow within the film.
You can see Tron: Ares when it hits theaters on October 10, 2025. In the meantime, fans can revisit its predecessor, Tron: Legacy as well as the OG 1982 flick now with a Disney+ subscription. For more information on other films from the House of Mouse that are heading to cinemas and streaming in the near future, make sure to consult our upcoming Disney movie schedule.
