Chris Evans is the new Buzz Lightyear

Get ready to explore infinity and beyond with a new Buzz Lightyear, starring Captain America himself!

Chris Evans has been cast as the voice of “the original Buzz Lightyear” in a new Pixar film. The studio announced on Twitter that the film titled Lightyear will explore the life of the Toy Story character, but not as we know it.

Evans clarified the role in a tweet, writing: “Just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”

I don’t even have the words. https://t.co/GHC8X6Yp7n

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 11, 2020

The Captain America star will not be replacing Tim Allen, who served as the voice of the iconic space ranger action figure in the first four Toy Story movies from 1995 to 2019, as well as video games, and direct to video animated films.

Evans will be playing the character of the original Buzz Lightyear, the in-universe astronaut, who presumably gets a merchandising deal and eventually gets turned into a toy line, one of which is given to Andy as a birthday present in the first film.

In the original Toy Story, Buzz realizes the truth of his identity as a toy and that he's not a real life space ranger after seeing a television advertisement about a spaceman being the “next hot thing to fly off store shelves.” Unlike Woody, who was based on a fictional TV show “Woody’s Roundup” the original Buzz Lightyear was apparently based on a real-life space astronaut in Andy’s world that inspired a whole line of toys.

While official details on the origin story have not yet been released, according to previous reports by Disney, Buzz Lightyear's name was made in honor of Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon. There’s been no word yet if Emperor Zurg is actually his father.

While Toy Story 4 wrapped up the decades-long adventure of Woody and the rest of the gang of toys in 2019, the animated prequel Lightyear is expected to bring new depth to the character behind the toy. Lightyear is set for a theatrical release on June 17, 2022.

(Images via Disney/Pixar)