this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2026
188 points (99.0% liked)

Today I Learned

28382 readers
1097 users here now

What did you learn today? Share it with us!

We learn something new every day. This is a community dedicated to informing each other and helping to spread knowledge.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must begin with TIL. Linking to a source of info is optional, but highly recommended as it helps to spark discussion.

** Posts must be about an actual fact that you have learned, but it doesn't matter if you learned it today. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.**



Rule 2- Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Posts and comments which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding non-TIL posts.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-TIL posts using the [META] tag on your post title.



Rule 7- You can't harass or disturb other members.

If you vocally harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.

For further explanation, clarification and feedback about this rule, you may follow this link.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.

Unless included in our Whitelist for Bots, your bot will not be allowed to participate in this community. To have your bot whitelisted, please contact the moderators for a short review.



Partnered Communities

You can view our partnered communities list by following this link. To partner with our community and be included, you are free to message the moderators or comment on a pinned post.

Community Moderation

For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, you may comment on the pinned post of the time, or simply shoot a message to the current moderators.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

To summarize, Disney began work on a sequel to Tron: Legacy immediately. Legacy was meant to kick off a larger universe of movies and TV. As time went on, other expected hits flopped, and Disney acquired Star Wars and made it their new darling, the Tron sequel got shelved.

Jared Leto, who was going to have a minor role in Tron: Ascension, pushed to have a new movie made anyway, making his character the star. The result is that what was more of less going to be the third act of Ascension was fleshed out into a whole movie minus Sam Flynn, Quora, and Tron.

Imagine if Return of the Jedi was never made. Instead, the third act of the movie, the attack on the second Death Star, was turned into a whole movie but the continuation of the plots involving Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Luke Skywalker were completely cut out. Then Wedge Antilles was made the star of the movie and he personally confronted Chancellor Palpatine and saved the galaxy. That's pretty much what has happened to the Tron franchise. :(

all 30 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world 77 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So Disney had a decent time with Tron: Legacy, acquired Star Wars, shelved Tron while they obliterated Star Wars worse than George Lucas with the prequels, then decoded to go back and destroy Tron with a cult leader who's also a shitty actor.

Peak example of innovation capitalists keep claiming they do.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Except Disney did not have a decent time with Legacy.

It flopped at the box office. Was a critical disaster and had mixed responses from fans.

Rightfully so, because it is a terrible movie, that had a great soundtrack and looked good. The new cast were really bland and the whole thing was a head scratcher. It really is amazing that the third movie was ever made.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Okay, but explain why serial sex pest and bad joker impersonator Jared Leto got cast in the leading role?

[–] sundray@lemmus.org 14 points 1 month ago

Jared Leto was a producer on the picture; he put up money and was a primary decision-maker on the film. He also had an ally in Sean Bailey, who was a producer on Tron: Legacy and was the Disney exec who was trying to get the follow-up off the ground.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

He's a cult leader.

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Yeah except I'm sure Jared Leto's pull and direction on this is why we ended up with what we did and it has less to do with the failures and timespan. I dont see why the mouse wouldnt include more Bruce and Jeff because I know they are down since they've been in every previois Tron entry (except I'm not sure if Jeff starred in Uprising). I watched it a second time cause I couldnt recall a single character who wasnt Ares by name and tbh the second watching did not help. Everything is so bland and everyone is a CEO its completely unrelatable and boring.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I don’t know about the others, but Cillian Murphy declined to reprise his role as Dillinger Jr.

Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde were off contract at that point, so bringing them back would have at least involved more money. So that’s probably Disney’s fault.

I can’t imagine Boxleitner saying no to being Alan Bradley or Tron again. I can imagine him not even being asked. Again, because money.

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What? So that cliffhanger is just left there at the end of Ares? Lol dude I cant help but feel all of the original 1984's potential has been squandered.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm talking about the teaser at the end of Legacy, I have not seen Ares yet. And I have no idea how or why they would continue the story of Tron without TRON.

At the end of Legacy, Dillinger Jr. is communicating with what appears to be a backup of the original MCP. But in order for that to resolve, they'd have to recast him. Which wouldn't be horrible, because Cillian was barely in the movie and not even named on-screen, but he was a great choice for the role and Disney shuffling their feet with Tron for the last 15 years is probably what made him move on.

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Ah, I hated Legacy so that makes sense why I never saw this. Yeah so many plotlines seem to be abandoned or unresolved as well as glaring holes in the world building. Why was this shit discovered in the 80s and towns didnt just become computers? Why is Encom seemingly known for games when they have a damn digitizing lazer? How did Dillinger's company create their own without a lawsuit? Why is this the one franchise intent on destroying and wasting its original characters?

[–] NachBarcelona@piefed.social 6 points 1 month ago

Fun fact: Jared Leto is an abhorrent piece of rapist narcissist shit.

[–] baronvonj@piefed.social 14 points 1 month ago

I enjoyed it, but the planned sequel with Sam and Quora would have been more satisfying.

[–] Zagam@piefed.social 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

OK but Wedge was a bad ass.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

lol, agreed. I’m being all too kind to Leto with that comparison. But from a character standpoint, that’s about around who Ares is in the grand scheme of things. Which is why it makes no sense to center the franchise on him.

[–] Zagam@piefed.social 4 points 1 month ago

Oh I don't disagree with you. In fact I think its rather accurate. I just want to make sure Wedge gets his flowers for being the best starpilot ever.

[–] worhui@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

This was the best performance I’d ever seen from Leto.

It was mid. Didn’t know he had it in him.

[–] crazycraw@crazypeople.online 6 points 1 month ago

ok, so since the latest flopped, does that mean they're also shelving the sequel with OG MCP / dillinger ?

[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

WOW! And they still managed to make it shitty! Amazing!

[–] Curious_Canid@piefed.ca 2 points 1 month ago

I would be happy to watch a Wedge Antilles movie. It would almost have to be better than what they've been doing with the core movies.

[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 2 points 1 month ago

I have a group of friends that are fanboys of Tron in levels that I still don't understand. They were to the premiere cosplayed as the characters* and still today think that they are a conspiracy to bad mouth the movie and kill the franchise.

* one of them is a professional cosplayer and was paid by a shopping mall to make some art to decore the theater for the premiere, but the other ones are just fans.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The problem with your Return of the Jedi analogy is that in the Tron world there wasn’t a Han Solo, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker story to continue in Tron.

Everything in Tron Legacy was completely contained to Legacy and the ending of the movie didn’t leave much to be explored.

There ending was an ISO that is now in the real world. Soooo other than a fish out of water that has a great ass, what is the story to be continued?

The bad guys in Legacy were completely nebulous and they certainly didn’t pose any sort of threat to the real world. All they ever did was destroy thier only bar.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

In case it wasn’t obvious;

Han Solo = Tron. He was defeated, but not dead and Legacy hinted that his reprogramming had worn off.

Luke Skywalker = Sam Flynn, the son inheriting his father’s legacy (powers).

Darth Vader = Edward Dillinger Jr., the foil for Sam Flynn. The whole after credits scene in Legacy set him up for a showdown with Sam and Quora.

Tron was always a classic good vs evil story that parallels Star Wars pretty heavily. Right down to Jeff Bridges in Legacy being called a “Stoner Jedi.” An Empire (the MCP/Clu) oppressing an entire universe of beings and how a rebellion rose up to overcome them.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 month ago

Edward Dillinger jr was played by Cillian Murphy in an uncredited role. The character didn’t exist.

Tron was also non existent in legacy. He had a single line.

None of these storylines you are talking about existed. A post credit scene is fluff.