Early concept art for Tron: Ares revealed something that would’ve sent longtime fans into orbit — Cillian Murphy was initially envisioned as a new iteration of Sark.

Concept Artist Phil Saunders shared artwork showing Murphy in full Grid-ready form, reportedly created at the request of production designer Darren Gilford.

The idea? Tempt Murphy back into the franchise by evolving his Tron: Legacy character, Edward Dillinger Jr., into something darker and more imposing.

It looked incredible. Sleek. Sinister. Very Murphy.

But in the end, he didn’t return.

Instead, the film introducesJulian Dillinger, played by Evan Peters. Now CEO of Dillinger Systems, Julian discovers that Eve Kim (Greta Lee) has obtained Kevin Flynn’s permanence code — and he responds by unleashing two elite combat programs: Ares (Jared Leto) and Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith).

Visually, the movie leans hard into what Tron does best — glowing circuitry, digital landscapes, and pulse-heavy soundscapes.

Critics have described it as a streamlined upgrade rather than a franchise reinvention.

It trims down convoluted lore and focuses on style, momentum, and clean sci-fi spectacle.

Not a revolution. More like a polished evolution.

Directed by Joachim Rønning, the 119-minute PG-13 sci-fi adventure is currently streaming on Disney+.

It follows in the lineage of TRON and TRON: Legacy, connecting back while carving its own lane.