After exploring the dark side in shows like American Horror Story and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, star Evan Peters has been looking for a change and it looks like he's found it with Tron 3.
Peters has signed on to star opposite Jared Leto in Tron: Ares, which is the third installment of a Tron franchise that started with the 1982 movie starring Jeff Bridges. The second movie in the budding franchise didn't come along until 2010 with Tron: Legacy featuring Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde.
Though it wasn't a massive box office success, the sequel was lauded for pushing the boundaries of de-aging technology that made Bridges appear as he did in the original film. It also inspired thrilling roller coasters at multiple Disney theme parks worldwide.
Peters' casting in Tron: Ares isn't entirely surprising, as the actor noted in The Hollywood Reporter Drama Actor Roundtable (ironically, with Tron-alum Bridges) that he was hoping to take on something a little lighter than another serial killer in his next project.
He hadn't intended to sign on for Dahmer until he read the script. "I didn’t want to play any more bad guys. I was like, 'Not doing that anymore,' and then, I don’t know, I read the scripts. First of all, I didn’t know the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, and I was pretty upset about the amount of times that the police department and the justice system failed to stop him because of racism, homophobia, prejudice. It was way too much, and so I was really compelled to try to push myself and really dig into that. I felt like the message of the piece was worth it."
Though he's a frontrunner for an Emmy nomination for his performance, Peters indicated that he's looking for a change. "I'm interested in exploring the light," he said with a laugh. "So, we'll see. I'll take a little break."
It looks like that "break" involves a trip to Tron's Grid, and we're here for it.
Tron: Ares will be directed by Joachim Rønning, known for helming Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and co-directing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The goal is to begin filming in Vancouver this August.
