SAN DIEGO (AP) 鈥 The Grid took over Comic-Con on Friday, bringing the stars of the new 鈥淭ron: Ares鈥 films to unveil footage and reveal the story behind the franchise's third movie.
The film stars , , Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith as the story brings the virtual environment of the Grid, complete with light cylces, into the real world.
showed off several minutes of footage, including a light cycle chase scene in the real world and another in the red-hued Grid. Propelling the onscreen action is a propulsive Nine Inch Nails soundtrack.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to see it on the big screen for the first time,鈥 said director Joachim R酶nning.
Disney turned the Hall H panel into a spectacle, with red lasers filling the room and characters in suits with red lights entering the massive hall.
Asked what excited her about joining the 鈥淭ron鈥 franchise, Lee responded: 鈥淚 just wanted to ride a light cycle.鈥
Leto spoke affectionately about the original saying: 鈥淭his movie just grabbed a hold of me and took me to a place that I'd never been before. It kind of rattled my imagination and it kind of showed me what was possible in the world.鈥
He praised Bridges and Steven Lisberger, who created 鈥淭ron鈥 and directed the 1982 original. Lisberger attended Friday's panel and laid out his case for why the franchise remains relevant.
鈥淢y feeling about 鈥楾ron鈥 is that the most important thing is we kick this technology around artistically before it kicks us around,鈥 Lisberger said.
鈥淚 am weary about hearing all the grim news about the future,鈥 he said, and the way he thinks it can be avoided is to 鈥渋nspire young people what can be done with this technology.鈥
Friday's panel ended with the premiere of the music video for "As Alive as You Need Me to Be," the first Nine Inch Nails song from the soundtrack.
鈥淭ron鈥 has never been in the top tier of sci-fi franchises. The original 1982 film starring Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a man sucked into a computer vortex known as the Grid, was admired for its ground-breaking concept and effects, and was a modest hit with moderately good reviews.
Perhaps more importantly, it won a cult following and has been maintained enough in cultural memory to remain a valuable property for Disney.
The 2010 film 鈥淭ron: Legacy,鈥 starring Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, made more than $400 million globally. A TV show that followed, 鈥淭ron: Uprising,鈥 lasted just one season.
R酶nning has helmed other Disney franchise films: 2017鈥檚 鈥淧irates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales鈥 and 2019鈥檚 鈥淢aleficent: Mistress of Evil.鈥 The Norweigan director said he was interested because he dreamed about making a sci-fi film and enjoyed the twist of 鈥淎res鈥 bringing the Grid into the real world.
Leto and Bridges are both Oscar winners, and R酶nning is an Oscar nominee. ___
AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.