You Have Two Years To Prepare For Chris Evans As Buzz Lightyear

Say goodbye to Buzz Lightyear the toy and say hello to Buzz Lightyear the man. On Thursday, Dec. 10, Pixar's Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter announced Marvel darling Chris Evans would voice the beloved character in an upcoming animated movie. But there's a twist. Evans won't be playing the iconic Toy Story character; instead, he'll be lending his voice to the "original" Buzz Lightyear who inspired the toy.

Alongside the several just-announced Disney and Marvel projects rolling out over the next few years, Pixar stunned fans when they announced "America's ass" — err, Evans — would be going to "infinity and beyond." Titled Lightyear, this iteration will tell "the definitive story of the original Buzz Lightyear," meaning Toy Story fans will get to learn the backstory of how "this young test pilot became the space ranger we all know him to be today." In case Pixar's synopsis wasn't clear, Evans, who was otherwise speechless about this news, emphasized that "this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on."

The animation studio also shared the first image of what the Universe Protection Unit ranger looks like in this twist on the classic films.

Evans hung up his Captain America shield in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame, but it looks like he's not yet finished with the Disney universe. The actor will play the younger, human version of Toy Story's Buzz, who was played by Tim Allen since the franchise premiered in 1995. Judging by the reception on Twitter, some fans were taken aback by the casting switch and wondered why Allen couldn't reprise the role.

But as a whole, most people were able to move past and even joke about the switch.

As Pixar noted, the Lightyear prequel will hit theaters on June 17, 2022, giving the character's fans something to look forward to.