‘Toy Story 4’ starts a ‘new direction’ for franchise
Pete Docter, who co-wrote Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and has written and directed other Pixar films such as Inside Out, Up, and Monsters, Inc. told Collider that Toy Story 4 is taking a “new direction” from its typical adventure in addition to the focus on Woody and Bo Peep’s love story.
“They’re really doing a great job. It’s taking things into a little bit of a new direction which I think will really surprise people, and hopefully not feel like the first three but still familiar in a way,” Docter told Collider. “I don’t know if that even makes sense but it’s pretty awesome.”
“Well like all of us I’ve helped out, especially at the beginning. But right now it’s being directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Josh Cooley. They’re really doing a great job. It’s taking things into a little bit of a new direction which I think will really surprise people, and hopefully not feel like the first three but still familiar in a way. I don’t know if that even makes sense but it’s pretty awesome.”
“Stan pitched something and I can’t tell you what it is but it was like [puts hand on heart] ‘Ugh! Okay,’ you know? And we all struggled mightily with that because we’re in the same boat- they felt like it wrapped up very nicely. But, man, if we can hit what he was after I think it’ll be great.”
Lasseter, who directed the first two films, has previously confirmed to CNBC at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California that the “new direction” that Docter was talking about was the focus on the love story of Cowboy Woody, who is voiced by Tom Hanks, and nursery rhyme lady, Bo Peep, voiced by Annie Potts.
Josh Cooley is working with screenwriters Rashida Jones and Will McCormack on the final version which won’t arrive to theaters on June 15, 2018. Cooley is said to co-direct with Lasseter.
Patricia Arquette has been cast to play “a laid-back mom who’s described as a hippie.” Full casting announcement is here.
Toy Story 4 will be one of the few animated films Arquette has been involved with; she recently signed on to voice a character Troll: The Rise of Harry Potter Jr.
Toy Story 4 is scheduled to open June 15, 2018. UPDATE: Now the film has been pushed back to June 21, 2019