Almost a year since the theatrical release of Lightyear, award-winning veteran actor James Brolin has opened up about the Pixar movie’s underwhelming performance.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Brolin (who voiced the villainous Zurg in Lightyear) expressed his disappointment with the Chris Evans-led animated movie’s poor reception and voiced his doubts about reprising the role in the future. The 2022 film only earned a gross of over $226 million at the worldwide box office against a reported budget of $200 million.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be back to that franchise,” Brolin said. “It’s too bad that movie didn’t [do well]. It was so grown up, it wasn’t a Toy Story for kids, really. So, will there be more, will I be back? I don’t know. Will I ever do any vocal stuff again? Who knows.”
Lightyear was a sci-fi action-adventure which hailed from director and veteran Pixar animator Angus MacLane (Finding Dory). It featured the voices of Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. The film was produced by Galyn Susman (Toy Story 4, Ratatouille), with Michael Giacchino serving as its composer.
“The definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew,” says the official synopsis. “As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.”
The Toy Story franchise started with John Lasseter’s 1995 film, which spawned three more sequels. It featured the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, and more.