Chris Evans jokingly endorses Taika Waititi in calling himself the lead in Pixar’s Lightyear. Lightyear is the freshest film in the iconic Toy Story franchise, albeit it sets apart from a traditional sequel, as it was announced during Disney’s Investor Day presentation in 2020. Rather than focusing on a toy, the film follows the origins of the person who was the inspiration for Buzz Lightyear, a space hero played by Evans. Lightyear, directed by Angus MacLane, is set to hit theaters this June, and it is likely to be the first Pixar film to get a theatrical release since early 2020.
Except for Evans’ engagement, almost nothing was teased about Lightyear for a long time. Even though, more information has emerged as a result of the official Lightyear trailer’s release. The additional high-profile members of the voice cast were ultimately revealed by Pixar. Besides Evans, James Brolin, Keke Palmer, Uzo Aduba, Dale Soules, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Peter Sohn will provide their voices to Lightyear. It will also feature Evans’ fellow MCU alum Waititi, who will play an undisclosed character.
After word of Waititi’s participation with Lightyear leaked, the actor/writer/director turned to social media to post the trailer for the film and jokingly flex his goodwill. “I’m the main star in this movie,” Waititi tweeted, “but I pulled rank and said the trailer should be more about the supporting characters like @ChrisEvans one, Bazz.” Evans met with ideal reaction, which does not even challenge Waititi’s allegation. In his retweet, he stated, “In my eyes, you’re the main star of every movie whether you’re in them or not”. That actors support one another is such a great thing.
Evans and Waititi are both key characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however they never had the chance to work together until Evans’ withdrawal from the franchise. One can only hope that Waititi and Evans will be able to share scenes together, even if their portions were not recorded at once. As the director and co-writer of this summer’s Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi will continue to be a core creative force in the MCU; between that and Lightyear, he’ll have a significant presence across the season. Evans’ next film is The Gray Man, which will be released on Netflix later this year.
The Lightyear trailer didn’t reveal who Waititi would be voicing, but it did give viewers plenty of chances to get a sense of Evans’ version of the character. When he was cast in the role instead of Buzz’s original voice actor, Tim Allen, there was some shock, but it’s evident now that Lightyear is giving the character his own unique touch. Moreover, the film will undoubtedly have numerous Easter eggs referencing his Toy Story self, as evidenced by the Zurg seen in the teaser. To Toy Story big fans, or even just lovers of Evans and Waititi’s work, Lightyear can not be let slip.
