Co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and original Toy Story director John Lasseter is returning to helm Pixar’s Toy Story 4, due to hit theaters on 16 June, 2017.
Walt Disney Co. chief executive officer Bob Iger made the announcement while discussing Disney’s fiscal year results.
“John created Toy Story and directed the first two films, and it’s great to have him back directing one of our most valuable properties,” Iger said.
The new story was conceived by the original Toy Story writing team: Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Lee Unkrich.
“We love these characters so much; they are like family to us,” said Lasseter. “We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before. Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz’s story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie. But when Andrew, Pete, Lee and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie – and I wanted to direct it myself.”
The blog also reports that the writing team Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (Celeste and Jesse Forever) have joined the project, and Pixar veteran Galyn Susman (ABC’s Toy Story OF TERROR!) will produce.
Lasseter is one of the co-founders of Pixar, and also serves as chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where his creative input has contributed to its latest renaissance. His last project as director was 2011’s Cars 2. He is also set to direct its sequel, Cars 3.
Toy Story 3 hit theaters in 2010, and currently sits at number thirteen on the all time global box office.
Official casting info for Toy Story 4 is still to be announced.
And with Disney owning rights to Marvel and Star Wars characters, there could soon be an announcement of a Lego Movie sequel crossover of those legendary characters; given the fact that the first was so imaginative and creative, now that’s some food for thought.