WARNING: SPOILERS for Lightyear are in play. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, head over to your nearest cineplex and report for duty once you’ve caught up.
Now that Lightyear has finally taken its place in the landscape of the 2022 movie releases, fans of the Toy Story legacy have a new way to enjoy one of their favorite characters. As Chris Evans’ incarnation of Buzz Lightyear has started a journey into a new frontier, there’s no telling what could happen in potential sequels. Which is good, because for very selfish reasons, Evans wants to keep playing in this particular universe.
I learned as much while speaking with Chris Evans during the Lightyear press rounds. Posing the question of whether or not the movie that Andy fell in love with would have any sequels, the Marvel Cinematic Universe vet wasn’t shy in telling CinemaBlend the following:
I mean, I hope so, for very selfish reasons. Yeah. There’s a lot of room, there’s a lot of places to go and a lot of great characters in this. And so, yeah, I hope we have a chance to explore them further.
If you were given the chance to play another version of a character as iconic as Buzz Lightyear, you’d probably want to lock that in for as long as possible yourself. No one can blame the actor for wanting to continue telling this story, especially since Chris Evans’ excitement about Lightyear has been present since day one. He may call it “selfish” because it means there’s obviously more work in a gig that he values highly, but to the rest of the world, Evans is pretty relatable in this moment.
The ending of Lightyear certainly has a lot of potential when it comes to making sequel hay. On the surface, the fact that the final shots of the movie see key pieces of Buzz Lightyear lore snapping into place is the obvious bait. With a ship that looks like the box Andy’s toy came in and the suits of the newly-formed Universe Protection Division looking like the more familiar standard issue uniform we’re all familiar with, the launchpad is pretty well staged.
Past the actual bells and whistles though, this Disney/Pixar spinoff has quite a strong sequel hook in its main character. As a twisted alternate version of Buzz Lightyear himself has now been revealed to be Zurg, who is very much alive in the post-logos stinger, the continued threat of Buzz himself still exists in Lightyear’s universe. With the complications that this twist brings to the table firmly set, the story for director Angus MacLane and producer Galyn Susman’s potential franchise has some very promising directions it can pursue.
By the mere virtue of Chris Evans wanting to reprise Buzz Lightyear, a sequel being greenlit wouldn’t be a crime. In the case of Lightyear, that enthusiasm is matched all around, as the universe is already properly primed to go for launch on another entry. All that has to happen is for the higher-ups at Disney/Pixar to give the order, and we could get to see what lies beyond infinity after all.
That may not be as easy a call as it seems however. Lightyear’s debut weekend at the box office saw the movie coming in second to Jurassic World Dominion, which was quite the surprise to fans and critics alike. These next couple weekends, and even the eventual Disney+ launch, are more critical to the future of Buzz Lightyear than ever.
Whether it’s in front of or behind the camera, this Toy Story isn’t done quite yet. Lightyear is currently going to infinity and beyond at a theater near you. The chances those potential sequels will actually happen are still being calculated, especially as the film enters its second weekend of release.
All you Space Rangers out there will just have to be patient and potentially revisit the Toy Story legacy as a way to pass the time; which is what Disney+ subscribers can do at the time of this writing. However, if you’re looking for the “right way” to experience this adventure, I can’t say enough good things about the 3D version of Lightyear.
