Tron 3 movie with Jared Leto rumored to be on the way

The rumor mill is churning this week about a new Tron movie coming from Disney  and starring actor Jared Leto. This is the first news that's hit about a new Tron movie since it was revealed in March that a new Tron series being created for Disney Plus by 12 Years a Slave screenwriter John Ridley was scrapped. 

"A couple of months back, our trusted source informed us that a Tron reboot with Jared Leto is still in the works with a director search underway," according to Disney fan news site The Dis Insider. "We have heard multiple directors in the mix but nothing we can confirm as of yet."

Another Disney fan news site, DR Movie News, tweeted on Tuesday, "Disney confirms that Tron 3 is officially in development. Jared Leto is reportedly in talks to star. A director search is underway, but the studio is hopeful that Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski returns, as well as Daft Punk for the score."

Disney, Jared Leto and Daft Punk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

According to The Dis Insider, the new film will be more of a Tron sequel than a reboot, and the cast from Tron: Legacy could return. 

However, it's uncertain if the new film "will follow the same story as the canceled third Tron film, Tron: Ascension, which would have seen the machine world of The Grid invade the real world. That was also rumored to have featured a character called Ares," The Dis Insider said. 

According to CNET's sister site ComicBook.com, Disney music executive Mitchell Leib talked about the future of the Tron movie franchise during an interview on the Light the Fuse podcast.

"I had lunch with Paul Hahn to further a bit of a starting conversation that we're looking at making a sequel to Tron now, we're looking at Tron 3," Leib said. "And we've got a great script, I mean a really phenomenal script that we're very excited about. Whereas the timing wasn't right to have done it years ago, I think we feel like the timing is right now, and I feel like we've learned a lot of lessons from that last movie."

Leib also said he hopes Disney can get electronica music duo Daft Punk on board for another Tron movie soundtrack, and that Disney also seems hopeful Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski would return to helm the third movie.

So while that's not official confirmation from Disney that the Tron 3 is happening, the movie being discussed by a Disney music executive may give fans hope. 

It's been 10 years since fans were able to see Tron on the big screen, with Tron: Legacy. So the idea of a new Tron movie elicited quite a few reactions, both excited and skeptical. 

"Friendly reminder that in development doesn't = greenlit," entertainment journalist Alisha Grauso tweeted on Tuesday. "I can not find a credible source about the Tron 3 news. Even if it's confirmed to be in development, it's been in development for 389 years. That doesn't mean much if there are no new, concrete details."

Bill and Ted Face the Music actor Alex Winter joked, "I regret to inform our fans that Freaked 2 in development has lost Jared Leto to Tron 3 in development. Paul Lynde remains attached to return as the 'center square.'"

Other fans were happy to hear about a possible new Tron movie with a Daft Punk soundtrack, though not everyone is thrilled with the idea of Leto being attached to the project.