‘Toy Story 4’ To Open a New Chapter in the Lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the Rest of the Gang

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar's Toy Story 4 is officially scheduled for theatrical release on June 16, 2017. John Lasseter, who is the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and who helmed the 1995 Toy Story and the 1999 Toy Story 2, will return to direct the fourth installment in the film franchise.

In a statement released via Variety, Lasseter said: "We love these characters so much; they are like family to us. We don't want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what's gone before. Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz's story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Storymovie. But when Andrew [Stanton], Pete [Docter], Lee [Unkrich] and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie-and I wanted to direct it myself." Also, 2010's Toy Story 3 grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, according to industry tracker Box Office Mojo, a good enough motivation for the studio bosses to plan for another sequel.

The screenplay for Toy Story 4 will be written by actors and writers Will McCormack and Rashida Jones. The studio's storyline for the upcoming film simply says that it will open a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the Toy Story gang. Beyond that, nothing much has been revealed. Presumably though, it will continue to explore the relationship between the toys and Bonnie, their new owner at the end of Toy Story 3. Also, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, John Morris, Ned Beatty, Emily Hahn, Michael Keaton, and the rest of the original voice cast members are expected to return to reprise their roles in the next sequel movie.