Disney announced that Chris Evans will voice the iconic role of Buzz Lightyear in an upcoming Pixar movie called Lightyear. The film will take a look at the beloved Space Ranger’s origin story and is slated to hit theaters on June 17, 2022.
Evans, who has played Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, took to Twitter to celebrate the news. Evans wrote: “I don’t even have the words,” retweeting Pixar’s teaser footage that appears to show a brief intergalactic voyage before featuring the film’s title. There’s no hint yet about whether Woody or any of Buzz’s other friends will appear in Lightyear.
Evans also shared a post to Instagram, writing that he was initially skeptical about taking on the role that was originated by Tim Allen, as “no one could ever touch his performance,” but that Evans learned he would be voicing a “different” character.
Evans also posted a follow-up tweet to clarify that he isn’t actually replacing Allen, but is voicing the inspiration for the toy that Allen portrayed in the Toy Story films: “And just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”
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