With their techno synth-pop sound and penchant for shiny helmets, Daft Punk felt like the obvious choice to compose the score for 2010's Tron: Legacy. Nine Inch Nails doing the music for Tron: Ares seems like a massive curveball, then, but producers Sean Bailey and Emma Ludbrook insist the rock band are the "perfect fit" for the upcoming sci-fi sequel.
"Daft Punk had set such an extraordinarily high bar, and we really thought and talked a lot about who it might be to do [the music for] this film," Bailey tells GamesRadar+. "We thought that what Trent [Reznor] and Atticus [Ross] do was just such a perfect fit for this Tron, which is a little more industrial, a little more on the Dillinger side of things; a little heavier, a little darker. I think they've created something that's, you know, a wonderful blend of that Tron signature and what Nine Inch Nails do so well."
Starring Greta Lee, Evan Peters, and Jared Leto, Tron: Ares picks up 14 years after the events of its predecessor, with the former's Eve Kim having taken over ENCOM following the resignation of Garrett Hedlund's Sam Flynn. Elsewhere, at family-run rival company Dillinger Systems, gifted coder Julian (Peters) has created his own Grid – and discovered how to print highly sophisticated Programs in the real world.
"He's biblically strong, lightning fast, and supremely intelligent," Julian says of Ares (Leto), his new super soldier, to potential investors in the trailer. "And if he is struck down on the battlefield, I will simply make you another." Tech whizz-turned-arms dealer? It's not hard to see what Bailey means by "heavier"...
"We were also thrilled that they agreed to do it as Nine Inch Nails, as the band," he continues. "So it was a really cool journey for us. We went to their concert the other night and heard one of the songs from the soundtrack live, and it was kind of a dream come true."
"And they love Disney! That's the best part. I'm like, 'This is the Disney film for them,'" laughs Ladbook, as Bailey concludes: "That's true. Trent does enjoy the LightCycle ride at Disney a great deal."
Tron: Ares releases in US and UK cinemas on October 10. For more, check out our picks of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.
