For a minute there, it looked like the Grid was about to welcome back a familiar face. Newly released concept art from Tron: Ares shows Cillian Murphy reimagined as Sark — and honestly, the design goes hard, but despite the early push, Murphy ultimately didn’t return for the long-awaited sequel. And having seen it, we suppose we can’t really blame him, it’s not really his jam.
Film concept artist Phil Saunders shared artwork on ArtStation revealing that he was tasked early in development with illustrating Murphy as a new incarnation of Sark. According to Saunders, production designer Darren Gilford asked him to create a “quick illustration” of Murphy in the role — seemingly in hopes of convincing the actor to reprise his Tron: Legacy character, Edward Dillinger Jr.
Rather than featuring Murphy opposite Jared Leto’s rogue AI Ares, the film introduces Julian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters. Julian, now CEO of Dillinger Systems, discovers that Eve Kim (played by Greta Lee) has obtained Kevin Flynn’s permanence code. In response, he deploys combat programs Ares and Athena (portrayed by Jodie Turner-Smith) to retrieve it.
Is ‘Tron: Ares’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s review stated that Tron: Ares doesn’t quite crack the code on making Tron a must-see franchise, but it smartly simplifies the formula — leaning into slick visuals, a killer soundtrack, and just enough story to keep things moving. Ross Bonaime noted that the streamlined premise is a major improvement. Rather than drowning in convoluted lore, the screenplay keeps things relatively straightforward.
Tron: Ares isn’t likely to turn Tron into the major franchise Disney has clearly wanted it to be for decades, but it is a sign that the company has a smarter understanding of what these movies need to be: exciting to look at, with a great soundtrack, and with a story that’s dumb fun. Tron: Ares not only achieves that, but finds fun ways to fit in the other installments that make you actually want to see more installments in this world, as opposed to having them forced upon us. Tron: Ares isn’t a killer app, but it is a solid upgrade.
Tron: Ares is streaming now on Disney+.
via Collider