Many fans were thrilled to learn about Lightyear, a movie about Buzz Lightyear that would bring back nostalgia and good memories. However, actor Tim Allen is somewhat synonymous with the part, so some viewers were confused about why Avengers actor Chris Evans was the star of the new film.
Sources close to the film shared information about the conception of Lightyear, the production process, and the real reason why Chris Evans is Buzz Lightyear.
Basically, movie executives said they did not want to add to the confusion fans were already experiencing.
Why Chris Evans is Buzz Lightyear rather than Toy Story original Tim Allen
When Lightyear was announced, movie director Angus McLane revealed that Lightyear would be a sidequel. The term sidequel meant that it did not move in a linear fashion, as a prequel or sequel would the terminology used by the director confused fans further, so a producer stepped in to provide clarity.
The producer of Lightyear, Galyn Susman spoke with Yahoo and spelled things out in a way that made sense. Susman explained, “In 1995, Andy received a toy. The toy was from his favorite movie. This is that movie.”
Why didn’t Allen star in Lightyear? Susman felt that it would confuse fans greatly because Tim Allen played the toy, not the movie that the toy inspired in the original Toy Story saga.
Susman continued, “It would add to the confusion. People were having a hard enough time wrapping their heads around this. So really we needed the toy in the Toy Story universe to be its own thing.”
Next, Susman elucidated the point further and drove things home, “Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear the toy. Chris Evans is Buzz Lightyear, the superhero from that movie that inspired the toy.”
Lightyear is a Sci-Fi film and different from the Toy Story films
The director of Lightyear shared another reason why Chris Evans played Lightyear rather than Tim Allen, and it had to do with style. According to McLane, Allen’s comedic nature would not be well-suited for this film because it was science fiction.
McLane explained, “And the tone is a lot different. Tim is hilarious, but this character wouldn’t work as well with him doing the Space Ranger voice. It would not be as emotional. It just changes the tone of the movie. We were going for more of a classic sci-fi film.”
Lightyear arrived in U.S. theaters on Friday, June 17, 2022.
