SAN DIEGO – No one’s giddier than Greta Lee about being in a “Tron” movie.
Directed by Joachim Rønning, “Tron: Ares” (in theaters Oct. 10) brings the computer programs from the digital Grid into the real world for the first time, all set to a cool Nine Inch Nails soundtrack.
A Comic-Con panel for the sci-fi action film on Friday, July 25, debuted new footage, including a moment where digital warriors Ares (Jared Leto) and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) are sent to reality to take an important piece of code from programmer Eve Kim (Lee). A high-speed chase ensues, and Eve winds up stealing one of her pursuers’ lightcycles.
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And it kind of made her life. “I told my agents to find me something where I can ride a lightcycle. I actually got to ride one. It was insane,” said Lee (“Past Lives”). “I never could have imagined it could be that fun.” Her character is also seen in the Grid riding a nifty speeder vehicle alongside Ares, with Athena’s drones in hot pursuit. (She makes a deal with Ares that he’ll return her to the real world in exchange for the code he needs.)
One person almost as excited as Lee is the OG “Tron” star himself, Jeff Bridges. “It’s so cool, man!” said the actor, who reprises his role as Kevin Flynn from the 1982 first film and 2010’s “Tron: Legacy.” “Artificial intelligence, that’s on everybody’s hearts and minds these days, and I’m glad to be part of this story.”
Bridges was joined on the panel by original “Tron” writer/director Steven Lisberger, who said Bridges has “been a gift to ‘Tron’ since day one” and over the years has seen “Tron” become real life. “That’s more far out than ‘Tron,’ “ he said.
“We kind of created our own genre with virtual adventure and it’s not going away,” the filmmaker added. “It’s not that Tron was ahead of its time. It’s that everyone else was late.”
Leto admitted that he’s an “official ‘Tron’ superfan,” and the actor spearheaded the making of the third movie. Back in 1982, “video games were exploding, and films were a huge part of my life. (‘Tron’) just grabbed a hold of me. It took me to a place I’d never been before and rattled my imagination.”
During his first day on the set, Bridges heard that Leto only wanted to be called by his character name, Ares. “I could understand that,” Bridges said. “It’s a tough part, man, to play a program. I figured I’m playing Flynn, I’m the guy who created this thing, but I didn’t wanted to offend him as a thespo. I said, ‘Can I call you Air?’ He said, ‘You can call me whatever you want.’ ”
Leto got such a kick out of being around Bridges that he actually yelled “cut” early during one take: “I couldn’t stop smiling because I was working with this guy.”
There is connective tissue between “Ares” and the original “Tron,” from props to characters: For example, Evan Peters plays Julian Dillinger, a descendant of “Tron” baddie Edward Dillinger (David Warner). Lee said “Ares” is “absolutely for superfans and die-hards, but we have this exciting opportunity to usher in a whole new audience for ‘Tron.’ I think we’ll be able to connect a lot of different people with this movie.”
Leto also shouted out “Tron” music over the years. He called the Daft Punk soundtrack “incredible” and was downright giddy himself about Nine Inch Nails’ contributions to “Ares.” A new music video for the single “As Alive As You Need Me to Be” premiered at Comic-Con.
“Very few people could fill those shoes,” said Leto, and Nine Inch Nails “made music that will last a lifetime.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Tron’ superfan Jared Leto gushes over ‘Ares’ star Jeff Bridges
