<\/p>\n
This article contains spoilers<\/strong> for “Tron: Ares.”<\/em><\/p>\n For years, it seemed that a second sequel to the original 1982 “Tron” may never be made, as “Tron: Legacy” director Joseph Kosinski came close to getting his idea for a sequel off the ground in 2015, only to find Disney cancelling the film at the last minute<\/a>. In Kosinski’s opinion, the studio had recently acquired the “Star Wars” and Marvel franchises, and thus had much less of an interest in pursuing “Tron” when it came to sci-fi\/fantasy fare for the multiplex. Despite Kosinski and his cast moving on, “Tron” never completely died out at Disney, with writer Jesse Wigutow eventually getting his script for a third film off the ground<\/a>. Finally, “Tron: Ares” releases in theaters this weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n Of course, this game of musical chairs with the film has left several actors and characters pushed to the sidelines or falling by the wayside. While Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn is the only legacy character to appear in “Ares,”<\/a> the movie does make mention of Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn and Olivia Wilde’s Quorra, hinting that they may make an appearance in a future installment. Then there are the characters who aren’t even mentioned, chief among them Alan Bradley, played by Bruce Boxleitner, who also played the titular Tron in the first two films<\/a>. While a “Tron” movie without Tron seems egregious to the series’ fans, a more baffling omission for general audiences is the lack of Cillian Murphy, who briefly appeared in “Legacy” as Ed Dillinger, Jr., the son of the first film’s Dillinger, played by David Warner.<\/p>\n Murphy’s Dillinger Jr. was blatantly intended as a setup for a future sequel, and while the Dillinger family is indeed the antagonists of “Ares,” Junior is nowhere to be seen or mentioned. Instead, Evan Peters plays Julian, the grandson of Ed. So, while “Ares” doesn’t explicitly kill off or retcon Ed Jr., it certainly wants you to forget about him.<\/p>\n