Buzz Lightyear is coming back to the big screen, but like you’ve never seen him before. Earlier this month, Disney announced that Pixar is working on a spinoff of their mega successful Toy Story franchise called Lightyear, which will focus on the iconic Space Ranger. This time around, though, we’ll find out the story of the “real” Buzz, as in the cosmic hero that the toy is based on. And Tim Allen won’t be returning to portray this very different version of the character, either, as Marvel star Chris Evans has signed up to take over.
Lightyear will obviously be a CG-animated movie, just as you’d expect, but Evans is exactly the sort of person who Disney would hire to play Buzz in live-action if they were to give Pixar’s classics the same reboot treatment as their other films. As such, fan artist ApexForm has mocked up this epic image of how the Captain America actor could look as Buzz Lightyear of Star Command in the flesh.
The announcement of the new spinoff generated a lot of buzz – pun definitely intended – online, both good and bad. Sure, folks were excited by the news, but there were also many people who were incensed that Allen had been replaced in the role. Evans has aimed to reassure fans on social media, though, revealing in an Instagram post that he was reluctant himself to do the project, but he agreed to become involved when he realized that his Buzz is totally different from the action figure we’re familiar with.
Plot details are thin on the ground at present, but we know that Lightyear will follow the hero as a young test pilot who ends up flung into space and embarking on galactic adventures. The movie is scheduled to drop in about a year and a half’s time, with it due in theaters in June 2022.
