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Tron: Ares Writer on Franchise Evolution, Creative Continuity & More

Tron: Ares screenwriter Jesse Wigutow spoke to us about the film's 15-year journey, Jared Leto, Jeff Bridges, casting, AI and more.

Jesse Wigutow has emerged as one of the biggest emerging creative forces in Hollywood, even though some might not have heard of his name, with his uncredited work on 8 Mile (2002), Eragon (2006), The Ruins (2008), and Warcraft (2016). One project that was also part of that slate was his work on Tron: Legacy (2010), the first sequel that expands on the 1982 original Tron. While fans wondered if we would see another sequel, fortunately, they didn't have to wait another 28 years for Ares to come out, but 15 years still seems like a lot. Nevertheless, Wigutow has forged on writing the screenplay and co-writing the story with David Digilio for the latest film with original franchise star Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn and Jared Leto taking that torch as Ares, a highly sophisticated program sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission. The Daredevil: Born Again writer spoke to Bleeding Cool about the long creative journey to get Tron: Ares made, from being more of a direct sequel to Legacy to more of a standalone story, if changing attitudes to artificial intelligence shaped the outlook of the film, how he balanced honoring the past to forging its own identity as a gateway film to the franchise, and what the new cast brings to his entry.

Tron: Ares Writer Jesse Wigutow on Carving the Film's Creative Path

BC: Tron is not exactly a franchise in a conventional sense, with the original film in 1982, then 2010 with Legacy, and now 2025 with Ares. How would you get to that point, as far as how to evolve it from what happened in Legacy into what we see now in Ares?

It was a real process from Legacy, released in 201,0 to Ares in 2025, where we are today. It was a process, and it started with a more direct, more continuous sequel to Legacy with a story being told that can carry those characters, mythology, and story forward. At a certain point, for a lot of reasons, that changed. There was a pivot, and the narrative got left behind. There was a character that was created in what had been called Tron: Ascension, who was in a smaller role, the villain of the movie, and that was to be played by Jared Leto. At a certain point, there was a chronological hiatus where Leto and his producing partner came back to me and said, "Hey, what if we built a movie around this character, as opposed to being the villain, he becomes the hero?" It was a new beginning and a singular new idea, and that's, yeah, that's where we are.

Have attitudes toward the way AI has evolved changed the way you approach the script?

It hasn't changed the way I've approached the script, but it has changed the way I'm viewing the film now, for whatever it's worth. When we started, AI was obviously a thing, and it was a pursuit. It was research, there was development, but it was very much in a very…professional kind of R&D space, for lack of a better way of saying it. It has evolved so quickly and exponentially since we started. I think we imagine the movie at a certain point being like, "This is far-flung and far into the future in its own way." Not that we're telling a futuristic story, but by the time the movie comes out, it will feel like three minutes into the future.

How do you balance Ares attaching what Legacy built with the past, and becoming a new gateway to the franchise, working with [co-writer] Dave [DiGilio] and director Joaquin [Rønning] with this?

There was a sense of what the larger audience was most, such that it may be out there in the world where they're most connected to be the visuals, aesthetics, and the idea of Tron, the light cycles, and some of the mythology. Obviously, Jeff Bridges' character, Flynn, is essential, but some of the rest of it didn't necessarily carry as much weight, so there was an effort to take it in a new direction. I think to your point, we have reckoned with, and wisely, and maybe should have considered this a little bit earlier, what some of the expectations would be from the audience going into this movie, not knowing, "Wait, where is Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund)? Where is Quorra (Olivia Wilde)? Aren't those the people that we paid money to come see this time out?" There is an effort to bridge that in terms of context, but I think a choice was made. This is not a complete left turn, but it is moving in a different direction.

What did it mean to have Jared, Greta (Lee), Evan (Peters), and Jodie (Turner-Smith) become the faces to lead this venture?

Look, there could not have been a better cast in terms of having written the film, having come up with a lot of these characters; they fit what's on the page so perfectly, then amplify and give it so much more depth and layer. It's really fascinating. It's a brilliant, sophisticated cast that brings all the right little tonalities that create a film. It's quite cool to watch happen.

What are some of the things that you're able to do in Ares that maybe weren't available in Legacy, as far as advancing the technology in the CG?

Honestly, it's a little over my pay grade. The CG is mind-blowing, and I think the movie really delivers on an audiovisual level that is part of the promise of Tron, but I think it over-delivers. It's very impressive, and I'll let the effects people speak to it.

Tron: Ares, which also stars Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, and Gillian Anderson, is in theaters.

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