Despite working together for years on one of the best sketch comedy series of all time, Key & Peele creators and stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele haven’t been in a live-action project together since 2016’s kitten comedy Keanu. Their award-winning collaborations technically continued in voice-acting form for Toy Story 4 and Wendell & Wild, but Key’s latest comments about their relationship are kind of a bummer, and left me with a big question for the Pixar sequel Toy Story 5.
Speaking with People about this career at large, Keegan-Michael Key used a very strong word to describe his lack of communication with his former comedy cohort, saying:
We don't see each other that often anymore. Which is, to me, a tragedy.
In the scheme of things, it’s of course perfectly normal for two grown adults to drift off down different paths that aren’t quite as parallel as they once were, especially given that both are living the happy husband life. (Key is married to Elisa Pugliese, while Peele is married to Chelsea Peretti.) And they also live on opposite sides of the country, with Peele central to L.A. and Key in New York City.
But most grown adults weren’t responsible for some of the funniest comedy sketches of the 2000s, so this one stings way more.
Of course, anyone paying attention to the former co-stars’ respective careers can easily track why partnering up again and again wouldn’t be the most natural fit for either. Beyond his animated voicework, Peele has largely replaced acting with writing/directing gut-punching horror movies like Get Out and Us, while Key has balanced his prolific comedy career with stage work. The Reboot star reflected on the duo’s shift in ideologies, saying:
Our evolution, I think, is tied to both of what our desires are. His desire was to start exploring the horror genre, and my desire was to do more dramatic work like I had been trained in school. . . . Both of us jumped to another platform — but we needed that first platform.
I suppose the move here is to be genuinely grateful for all the MADtv and K&P comedy they delivered, and happy that those projects allowed them the freedom to take on more formidable creative challenges. But the more selfish part of me just wants them to never stop working together. Which brings us to...
Will Ducky And Bunny Be Together Again In Toy Story 5?
For all that Forky was THE universally beloved new Toy Story character brought into the fourth film, it wouldn't have taken much for Key and Peele's Ducky and Bunny to steal that comedy crown. The carnival-geared stuffed animals were most delightful, thanks in large part to the rat-a-tat chemistry between the two actors.
But with Toy Story 5 set to arrive in theaters well after the 2025 movie schedule has concluded, it still hasn't been 100% confirmed just yet if Keagan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele will be reprising their roles. Plus, neither character was shown in the promotional concept art that Pixar released at D23 in August, even though Forky was there.
The expectation for them to return is there, since they both survived Toy Story 4's adventure and fronted the film's third and final post-credits sequence. But with Peele working on his upcoming mystery genre movie and lord knows what else afterward, on top of Key's busy career, the challenge may just be finding an opening in both of their schedules.
The best case scenario here is that Ducky and Bunny will get their own spinoff movie, which will be released right after Key joins one of Peele's horror movies, and ending world hunger is also involved. But here in this average-case scenario, we'll just have to wait and see if any future updates cement the characters' returns.
Toy Story 5 is set to arrive in theaters on June 19, 2026.
