Jared Leto looks every bit the action man in first-look image from the upcoming science-fiction film Tron: Ares

Jared Leto was completely unrecognizable while in costume as Ares in a new first-look image from the upcoming science-fiction film Tron: Ares, which was released on Thursday.

The 52-year-old performer, who shared the photo on his Instagram account, donned a sleek and futuristic costume while posing for the snap.

The Academy Award-winning actor – who recently scaled the Empire State Building – also penned a short message in his post’s caption, which he concluded by writing: ‘See you on the grid.’

Tron: Ares’ director, Joachim Ronning, also shared a statement on Thursday where he expressed via Deadline that he was ‘excited to be part of the Tron franchise and bring this new film to fans around the world.’

‘Tron: Ares builds upon the legacy of cutting-edge design, technology and storytelling. Now more than ever, it feels like the right time to return to the Grid,’ he added. 

Jared Leto was completely unrecognizable while in costume as Ares in a new first-look image from the upcoming science-fiction film Tron: Ares, which was released on Thursday

Tron: Ares serves as the third major entry in Disney’s Tron franchise, which kicked off with the release of the original film in 1982.

The Steven Lisberger-directed movie, which starred Jeff Bridges, was one of the first full-length films to make extensive usage of CGI.

The star of The Big Lebowski reprised his role as Kevin Flynn in Tron: Legacy, which was released in 2010.

The cast of the Joseph Kosinski-helmed movie was also led by Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, and it featured a soundtrack from electronic music duo Daft Punk.

Development on Tron: Ares began in 2010, and both Kosinski and Hedlund were initially attached to the project.

Although the movie was greenlit in March of 2015, it was subsequently revealed that it had been shelved just a few months later due to the failure of Disney’s sci-fi film Tomorrowland.

However, Leto signed on to appear in the project two years later, and his character was taken from an early version of the project’s script, per The Hollywood Reporter. 

In addition to starring in the movie, the House Of Gucci star serves as one of its producers.

The Academy Award-winning actor - who recently scaled the Empire State Building - also penned a short message in his post's caption, which he concluded by writing 'See you on the grid'; seen in January

The Academy Award-winning actor – who recently scaled the Empire State Building – also penned a short message in his post’s caption, which he concluded by writing ‘See you on the grid’; seen in January

The performer also shared a short clip to promote the upcoming science-fiction movie

The performer also shared a short clip to promote the upcoming science-fiction movie

Tron: Ares serves as the third major entry in Disney's Tron franchise, which kicked off with the release of the original film in 1982

Tron: Ares serves as the third major entry in Disney’s Tron franchise, which kicked off with the release of the original film in 1982

The star of The Big Lebowski reprised his role as Kevin Flynn in Tron: Legacy, which was released in 2010

The star of The Big Lebowski reprised his role as Kevin Flynn in Tron: Legacy, which was released in 2010

The cast of the Joseph Kosinski-helmed movie was also led by Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, and it featured a soundtrack from electronic music duo Daft Punk

The cast of the Joseph Kosinski-helmed movie was also led by Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, and it featured a soundtrack from electronic music duo Daft Punk

Although Tron: Ares was initially set to be directed by Garth Davis, Ronning signed on as his replacement in January of last year.

The feature’s cast will be rounded out by performers such as Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith and Gillian Anderson, among others.

While shooting was supposed to commence in Vancouver last year, it ultimately started last month. 

Tron: Ares will premiere next year, although a specific date for its debut has not been scheduled as of yet.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk