After a break from directing in Toy Story 3, handing the reigns over to Lee Unkrick, John Lasseter has decided to jump back into the saddle to direct the next adventure for Woody, Buzz and the gang. In an idea that came from Lasseters 'story trust' Pete Doctor, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrick he was said to have not stopped thinking about it and felt that it was the right the treatment and the right time to bring the gang back to together.
Speaking about the Toy Story 4 Lasseter expresses "We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before", but then he also said that about Cars 2 and that wasn't exactly overwhelming. After calling the Cars sequel a deliberate money spinner it kind of put me off him but I can't argue with the fact that every Toy Story film so far has been an outstanding success in terms of story, characters and box office sales.
Toy Story 3 ended Andy's story well and left the audience feeling complete, so what is in store for this next chapter. In an interview with The LA Times Lasseter explains that it will be a love story and pick up where 3 left off, all the toys now in the charge of pre-shooler Bonnie. With the hiring of screenwriters Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (Celeste and Jesse Forever), Lasseter revealed that he’d like “a strong female voice in the writing” hinting that Bonnie could be taking the lead role.
With Toy Story 4 not expected until 16th June 2017, I'll keep an open mind and pray for another successful chapter in the Toy Story saga and not a Cars 2 car crash.
