Jared Leto's TRON: Legacy - What Went Wrong With Disney’s Long-Awaited Sequel
Jared Leto's Tron 3 Controversy Explained
There are multiple layers to Jared Leto's Tron 3 casting controversy. He might have built up some goodwill with audiences early on thanks to roles in Requiem for a Dream or his Oscar-winning turn in Dallas Buyers Club, but that has vanished in the decade since as he dove more into method acting and delivering distracting performances. His Joker in Suicide Squad was maligned and then mocked after Zack Snyder's Justice League return. Leto's performances in House of Gucci and Morbius are often the subjects of memes and jokes (even if the former also brought him some award recognition). It has created a perception that he is a franchise killer.
The bigger issue with Jared Leto leading Tron: Ares is the allegations against him. This includes his poor behavior on set from his method acting techniques. There are confirmed reports that he made others push him in a wheelchair to the bathroom while filming Morbius instead of getting up and walking there himself. Jared Leto's DCEU controversies include tormenting the cast and crew on Suicide Squad by leaving condoms, pornography, and live rats around the set. The most troubling allegations relate to Jared Leto abusing women and pursuing underage girls. There have never been any legal charges, but the details of the alleged assaults are disturbing.
Leto's Casting Has Dampened Tron 3 Excitement
Due to Jared Leto's divisive nature, his Tron 3 casting dampens excitement overall in the sequel. The news that Disney is finally making another Tron movie should bring longtime fans of the property plenty of joy. While Jared Leto has been formally attached to Tron 3 since 2017, the movie's long development history provided a window where Disney could have moved forward with a new version of the project without his involvement. Not only has Disney kept Jared Leto's Tron 3 casting throughout the years, but the studio has continued to stay in business with him, as he stars in 2023's Haunted Mansion too.
Unfortunately, there is no sign that Disney will remove Jared Leto from Tron: Ares. This means that audiences could be in a difficult position of wanting to be excited about a new Tron movie but not being in favor of Leto's casting. Even if the sequel brings in other high-profile stars or some of Tron: Legacy's cast , it will be tough for Tron 3's excitement levels to increase to where they should be as long as Leto is involved.
