Buzz Lightyear is getting a makeover and Chris Evans will be part of the change.
The Avengers and Captain America star, 40, is lending his voice to the new installment of the spin-off. Though the film is supposedly unrelated to the Buzz Lightyear, fans are familiar with the Toy Story franchise.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the new film will aim to portray the original Buzz Lightyear, or rather, the human version of Buzz on which the Tim Allen character was based.
While that fact alone may seem confusing, the film’s director, Angus MacLane, spoke to EW to try to clarify the situation.
“Another way to get at it, it’s a straightforward sci-fi action film about the Buzz Lightyear character,” he explained.
MacLane added, “In the Toy Story universe, it would be like a movie that maybe Andy would have seen, that would have made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure.”
Why is Chris Evans taking over the voice of Buzz Lightyear?
With hype for the film on the rise now that the teaser is out, many fans are wondering why the Pixar movie is featuring Evans as Buzz instead of continuing to use Tim Allen’s vocal talents.
As reported by ScreenRant, execs at Pixar studios felt that the character deserved a fresh sound given that Tim Allen is so closely associated with the Toy Story version of Buzz and the prequel will portray a different character, even if they share the same name.
The Pixar Toy Story prequel will give fans the origin story of Buzz Lightyear the human space hero
Lightyear will be an origins story, helping to bring context into the Toy Story tale of Buzz as a toy.
It’s uncertain how much the prequel will bleed into the Toy Story universe to help tie the worlds together but it seems certain that Lightyear will offer fans a chance to get to know the fictional space hero in his original human form.
As fans of the Marvel universe already know, Chris Evans is well suited to add another superhero credit to his name after proving his versatility with his portrayal of Captain America from 2011-2019.
Evans, who once considered quitting acting due to his anxiety issues, has shown he can handle the pressure that surely comes with bringing a beloved comic book character to life in film.
It will be interesting to see how the prequel holds up, but having a Disney vet like Evans signed on should offer a lot of comfort and security to die-hard Toy Story fans.
Lightyear is set to be released on June 17, 2022