An epic new poster and a handful of images from Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story spinoff, Lightyear, further tease the cosmic adventures of the titular Space Ranger. Voiced by Captain America: The First Avenger star Chris Evans, Lightyear will introduce audiences to the real-life version of beloved Pixar character, Buzz Lightyear, who must embark on an adventure to save himself and his crew.
The poster gives us a good look at this “real-life” version of Buzz Lightyear, with the brave astronaut looking all kinds of heroic as he emerges from the fog. Wearing his iconic green and white spacesuit, it’s still a touch jarring seeing the character with hair rather than his purple spandex cap.The recent trailer offered a much better idea of what to expect from Lightyear, which finds Buzz marooned on an alien planet and attempting to get himself and the rest of his crew back to Earth. Their only hope is wrapped up in the results of an experimental test flight, which will send Buzz on his greatest adventure into the unknown. Thrown through a multicolored wormhole, Buzz is hurled into a world full of all manner of sci-fi staples, including giant robots and lasers, where he will come face-to-face with a vastly more intimidating version of Emperor Zurg.
These images not only give us another look at Chris Evans as the lead character, but also the delightful supporting cast that will be backing him up on his interstellar journey. This includes such familiar names as Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, and Taika Waititi as a group of ambitious recruits, with Peter Sohn voicing Buzz’s robot companion, Sox. The rest of the cast includes the voices of Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Chris Evans is Hugely Excited to Join the World of Pixar
While there was some initial disappointment that Toy Story star Tim Allen would not be providing the voice for Lightyear, director Angus MacLane has since explained why this is the case. "'Set in the world of Toy Story' is kind of weird,” the filmmaker began. “Another way to get at it, it's a straightforward sci-fi action film about the Buzz Lightyear character. 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."
Thus, Marvel star Chris Evans has been brought in to voice this new version of Lightyear, with the actor as excited as anyone to see the character head off on his own. "Working with Pixar is a dream come true. I've been a massive fan of their films since the very beginning,” Evans said when his casting was first announced. “My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me. All they said was 'Buzz Lightyear'." The actor himself had some concerns over stepping on Tim Allen’s toes, but went on to clarity that, "I didn't stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited. Trust me when I say that they REALLY know what they're doing over there. This one is gonna special, and it doesn't step on a single thing. I can't even put my excitement into words. I smile every time I think about it.”
Lightyear is scheduled to be theatrically released on June 17, 2022.