Tron: Ares confirms superstar composers to replace Daft Punk

However, their return was definitively ruled out when Daft Punk officially disbanded in 2021, leaving Tron fans to worry that the next film would be left lacking a strong audio identity.

Those fears should be quashed by the naming of Nine Inch Nails, as the industrial rock specialists are known for their blistering soundtracks to The Social Network, HBO's Watchmen and, most recently, sports drama Challengers, among other projects.

In fact, the duo are two-time Oscar winners for their work on David Fincher's Facebook drama and the Pixar film Soul, while they were also nominated for 2020 biopic Mank – another collaboration with The Social Network filmmaker.

The duo made a brief, silent appearance at D23 tonight, where their involvement in the film was revealed via a bright red laser, which burned their band name onto a giant LED screen (see below).

The cast of Tron: Ares were also in attendance, with veteran actor Jeff Bridges leading the line-up.

He said: "It's really unbelievable to think we made the original in 1982. Over 40 years! It's amazing. We never thought that we would have this legacy that's continued on all these years.

"Here we are, and what a beautiful time to bring this movie back: technology and AI especially has been omnipresent in all of our lives and what a perfect time to revisit this amazing world.

"Or more appropriately, to have this amazing world visit us – that's what happens in the movie."

Indeed, footage shown at the convention saw the franchise's iconic light cycles racing through streets in the real world, with one of them shearing a police car in half in a pulse-pounding sequence.

Greta Lee (Past Lives), Evan Peters (WandaVision) and Jared Leto (Morbius) also star in Tron: Ares, and appeared on stage alongside Bridges tonight.

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