Jared Leto Has Some Surprising Tron 3 News

"Tron" fans are used to waiting years for more tales from the Grid. After all, there was a 28-year gap between the original Steven Lisberger film and Joseph Kosinski's "Tron: Legacy" in 2010. 

The first film starred Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn — a software engineer working at ENCOM who transports himself into a world inside a computer system to stop a rogue artificial intelligence. The vicious new being becomes supremely powerful by leeching off of other programs, and it threatens the safety of the real world. Meanwhile, in 2010, "Legacy" follows the hero's son, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) as he tries to figure out the truth behind his father's disappearance. Ultimately, he follows in his father's footsteps by also making his way into the Grid.

The sequel raked in $400 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and it seemed like it could reignite the franchise. Unfortunately, Disney scrapped the sequel back in 2015, although rumors would continue to swirl that "Tron: Ascension" was in the works from Kosinski. Thankfully, in 2020, the studio confirmed that a third film is in development, with Oscar winner Jared Leto set to star ... though, apparently, it won't be a direct sequel to "Tron: Legacy."

Recently, the "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Morbius" star had a surprising update about "Tron 3."

"Tron" fans will be pleased to hear that "Tron 3" is closer than they might expect, according to Jared Leto. The star recently spoke to Screen Rant ahead of "Morbius," and he teased that the project is still being worked on by Disney. 

Leto explained, "I'm a super fan of 'Tron,' and we are working hard on 'Tron' with our incredible partners at Disney. Just an amazing group of creative people." The star also went on to say "We're getting closer. We're getting closer and closer, and who knows? Something may be [coming] sooner than later."

This isn't the first time Leto has publicly talked about the untitled "Tron" sequel, as he previously referred to it as "Tron: Ares" in a now-deleted tweet from 2020. Obviously, it's been quite some time since then, and it's entirely possible that plans for the franchise have changed. But this latest update from the actor means the project is still moving forward.

It's also hard not to wonder whether Disney has revived the idea of a TV series after the success of the live-action Marvel and "Star Wars" shows on Disney+. Remember, the studio canceled a "Tron" TV series that was in pre-production back in 2020. Maybe if Leto's "Tron 3" is successful enough, they'll take another run at those plans. But for now, fans will just have to be patient a little bit longer for news about the sequel.