Chris Evans Acknowledges Tim Allen’s Legacy After Buzz Lightyear Movie Revealed

In case you missed it, Chris Evans is moving on from his Marvel roots in a major way. On Friday, Disney announced that Evans would be lending his voice to the original Buzz Lightyear in a new Pixar film called Lightyear. This new film will give fans a fresh look at the character made famous after his appearances in the Toy Story movies. In the Toy Story franchise, Buzz Lightyear was a spaceman doll voiced by Tim Allen. Evans will be playing an actual spaceman, as opposed to a toy version. And while Allen will not be reprising his role as the intergalactic toy, Evans made sure to acknowledge the fact that Allen was the original star who brought Buzz Lightyear to life on the big screen.

In a lengthy Instagram message, Evans shared his excitement over this new project. He also touched upon the fact that Allen was the one who originally voiced the character and noted that “no one could ever touch his performance.” He wrote, alongside a still from the upcoming Lightyear, “Working with Pixar is a dream come true. I’ve been a massive fan of their films since the very beginning. My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me. All they said was ‘Buzz Lightyear’. I didn’t know what that meant, since Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance.”

While Evans shared that no one could hold a candle to Allen’s version of Buzz Lightyear, he was excited about the prospect of taking the character to a new “infinity and beyond.” The Captain America star continued, “I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling. I can say 2 things with absolute confidence: 1.. I didn’t stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited.”

He added, “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.” As CNN noted, Toy Story 4, which was released in 2019, wrapped up the story of Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and the rest of the toys. This new animated feature about Buzz Lightyear is expected to premiere on June 17, 2022.