What’s Going on with Toy Story 4?
There are few projects in Hollywood that take longer to make than a Pixar movie. They require years ..
There are few projects in Hollywood that take longer to make than a Pixar movie. They require years of production, thanks to the rigors of the studio’s writing process and complicated, cutting-edge animation. This is why it’s perhaps a little confusing that Disney-Pixar has just hired another screenwriter for Toy Story 4, a film that is scheduled for release on June 21, 2019—a mere year and a half from today.
Writer Stephany Folsom has been tapped to fill in the gap left by writer duo Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, according to Variety. It was revealed in November that Jones and McCormack had left the film, shortly before sexual misconduct allegations against Pixar chief John Lasseter became public. (Lasseter addressed the concerns in a lengthy memo, where he also announced he was taking a leave of absence from the company.) Though early reports intimated that the duo exited because Lasseter had sexually harassed Jones, the writer-actor clarified in a joint statement with McCormack that this was not the case. Instead, the pair parted ways with Pixar because of “creative” and “philosophical differences.”
“There is so much talent at Pixar, and we remain enormous fans of their films,” they said. “However, it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice.”
Their departure was just the latest behind-the-scenes shake-up in the film’s winding journey to the big screen. Lasseter, who was initially supposed to co-direct Toy Story 4,stepped down in July (prior to the public harassment allegations) and was replaced by Josh Cooley, who is now the sole director.
As a reminder: Toy Story 3 came out way back in 2010. Toy Story 4 was officially announced in 2014, and was ambitiously set for a June 16, 2017, release date. In 2015, it was reported that the studio had pushed the film to 2018. Then in 2016, the studio announced that it had pushed it again, this time to 2019, instead choosing to move the now-completed Incredibles sequel into Toy Story 4’s original 2018 spot. Shifting release dates to find the perfect, magical opening weekend is nothing new for a major studio, but it does come with an extra layer of caution in this case, since Toy Story is easily Pixar’s most beloved and protected property, one that will be carefully shepherded to maximal box-office success. Considering all the behind-the-scenes changes still happening at this stage in production, don’t be surprised if that 2019 release date goes out the window, too.
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:Meryl Streep’s 2017-2018 Awards-Season StyleYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
