Tim Allen, who voices Buzz Lightyear, reveals that Toy Story 5 has actually secretly been in development for quite some time. After first getting its start back in 1995, the Toy Story franchise now includes four feature films and one spinoff film with last year’s Lightyear. Although the fourth film, which was released in 2019, was widely considered to be the end of the long-running franchise, it was officially announced earlier this year that a fifth movie is now in the works.
Although the Toy Story 5 release date hasn’t yet been announced, Allen now reveals in a new interview with Daily Mail that the film has actually been in the early stages of development for quite some time. According to the star, it was secretly in the works even before Lightyear came out last June. Check out Allen’s full comment below:
“Toy Story five had been kind of laid down quite a while ago, but we just couldn’t get into it. Then Disney announced it about two months ago. So I’ve made friends with all of the people in Toy Story, especially Tom Hanks [who plays cowboy Woody]. So for that, I’m blessed to have these friends in my life. I love that character. I love that story. So I always wait to see the script.
“They came up with that. I think it’s getting close and I said unless it could have been done really well I know that the crew didn’t want to do it. So none of us could mention any of this. Even when all the ancillary Buzz or Lightyear movie was coming out, this was all in play. So it was kind of peculiar. That’s all.”
Toy Story 5 Can Make Up For Lightyear’s Mistakes
Lightyear was the subject of some controversy for a variety of reasons, but the reveal that Chris Evans would be voicing Buzz instead of Allen was a central sticking point. Lightyear ended up being a major flop at the box office, in large part due to confusion regarding how it connected to Toy Story. Ultimately, it’s now clear that making a movie about the real man (in the Toy Story universe) whose adventures inspired the creation of the Buzz Lightyear toy was too loose or too abstract a connection to really be meaningful to most audiences.
Lightyear actually earned decent reviews from audiences and critics alike, but Toy Story 5 still represents an opportunity for Disney to right the ship for the franchise. Instead of being another confusing or unnecessary spinoff, Disney’s upcoming sequel will bring back the characters (and voice actors) that audiences already know and love. What will be challenging, however, is justifying another movie after Toy Story 4‘s ending delivered such a satisfying and emotional sendoff for Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang.
Outside of Lightyear, Toy Story has been a very profitable franchise for Disney, so it’s likely that there will be future spinoffs after Toy Story 5. In fact, the upcoming sequel could actually help to set the stage for a future spinoff, introducing a new character worthy of further adventures, thus helping to avoid a spinoff with a convoluted connection to the mainline franchise. Many questions still remain about Toy Story 5, but Allen’s most recent comment suggests that gears have been turning on the film for quite some time to make sure the script is up to snuff.
Source: Daily Mail
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
