Tom Hanks has spoken out on Pixar’s decision to cast Chris Evans as Buzz in Lightyear instead of fellow actor Tim Allen.
At the time of the film’s announcement, many Toy Story fans expected Allen to reprise his role as Buzz in the 2022 spin-off.
Disney and Pixar’s new addition to the franchise serves as the origin story for Buzz Lightyear, who has been mainly voiced by Allen in other films.
Tom Hanks would have preferred to see his friend and fellow actor Tim Allen reprise his role as Buzz in Lightyear.
Speaking to CinemaBlend in an interview published on June 25th, Hanks said he hoped to face-off Allen at the box office when asked about the performance of his new movie Elvis.
“How about that? I actually wanted to go head-to-head with Tim Allen and then they didn’t let Tim Allen do it,” Hanks said. “I don’t understand that.”
Hanks was asked about Evans providing the voiceover in the new film to which he reacted: “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
He added: “Here’s the thing: I want to go back in the theatre with a bunch of strangers and leave with something in common.
Lightyear director Angus MacLane recently addressed the decision to replace Allen in the 2022 spin-off.
In an interview with Vanity Fair on June 8th, MacLane said: “Tim’s version of Buzz is a little goofier and is a little dumber, and so he is the comic relief.