Will Jeff Bridges Return to the Grid for Tron: Ares?

Since the original sequel to 2010’s Tron: Legacy was announced, we’ve wondered if Jeff Bridges would return. Thanks to the Film Comment podcast, we have a solid answer today.

The legendary actor, who has brought to life some of pop culture’s most zen characters, confirmed that he was indeed returning to Disney for the third film in the series – Tron: Ares. But in what capacity?

During the interview, Bridges was upfront about his involvement with the sequel, saying, “I am heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the Tron story.” He was notably excited but also worried about acting with a particular co-star. Bridges followed up his comment with, “It’s wild. Jared Leto is the star of this third one; I’m really anxious to work with him, and I’ve admired his work.”

The Big Lebowski actor also said he was interested in seeing how far technology has come since his time making Legacy. He even said he didn’t like how his digitally de-aged younger self looked in the 2010 film, “I didn’t like the way I looked in it. I felt like I looked more like Bill Maher than myself. t was kind of bizarre.”

Yeah, I agree with him. W digital effects overall were fantastic; the faces on Clu, Flynn, and Tron were offputting even 24 years ago. However, what would Flynn’s role be in this new world that is supposedly detached from his version of the Grid?

Tron: Legacy saw Bridges’ character, Kevin Flynn, supposedly sacrifice himself to stop Clu (a corrupted mirror image of the Grid’s creator) from bringing his army into the real world. Before the climax, it was alluded that Flynn would die if he reabsorbed Clu.

Bridges may return in flashbacks or some alternative digital form—maybe even as another Codified Likeness Utility.

[Source: Film Comment]