Chris Evans responds to Buzz Lightyear confusion over ‘replacing’ Tim Allen in Toy Story spin-off

‘There is no Buzz without Tim Allen,’ tweeted one concerned fan

Chris Evans has responded to confusion over his casting in a new Buzz Lightyear animated film.

The Toy Story prequel, titled Lightyear, will see Evans voicing the human Buzz Lightyear, who served as the inspiration for the toy Buzz voiced by Tim Allen in the previous movies.

Thanks to Disney’s slightly vague announcement about the film’s premise, however, many fans were left confused over Evans’s casting. Many theorised that Allen had been replaced in the original role by the Captain America actor.

“So Tim Allen just ain’t buzz anymore?” tweeted one concerned fan.

“There is no Buzz Lightyear without Tim Allen,” tweeted another, alongside the hashtag #NotMyBuzz.

Evans was quick to clarify the matter.

“Just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy,” Evans tweeted. “This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”

On Instagram, Evans further clarified that he was nervous about the film when he first heard about it due to Allen’s clear association with the original Buzz role.

“My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me,” Evans wrote. “All they said was ‘Buzz Lightyear’. I didn’t know what that meant, since Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance. I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling.”

Evans continued: “I can say two things with absolute confidence. 1... I didn’t stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2... Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited.”

Allen has yet to comment on Lightyear, which will be released in cinemas on 17 June, 2022.

The spin-off project was announced at yesterday’s (10 December) Disney Investor Day conference, which saw similar announcements about 10 new Star Wars TV series in development, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the return of Indiana Jones and an Enchanted sequel.