'Toy Story 4' News, Update: Pixar Taps New Writer

By Janna Dela Cruz, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, January 20, 2018

"Toy Story 4" has found a new screenwriter in Stephany Folsom.

Folsom is best known for her work in the Black List screenplay "1969: A Space Odyssey, or How Kubrick Learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon."

For the uninitiated, it is a story that follows an alternate history scenario where a publicist convinces filmmaker Stanley Kubrick to work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to fake the moon landing.

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The new "Toy Story 4" scribe also worked on the most recent Marvel Studios blockbuster "Thor: Ragnarok" although she was not given credit for it.

Following the big news about the "Toy Story" gig, which comes as a huge pressure following the massive success of the third film, she tweeted that the project is what she has been up to lately.

Folsom is stepping in for Rashida Jones and writing partner Will McCormack, who left the "Toy Story 4" project back in November over "philosophical differences."

In an official statement, the duo debunked reports that their departure was due to an overture made by Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter, adding that they felt they are put in a position in which they "need to speak for ourselves."

The break neck speed at which journalists have been naming the next perpetrator renders some reporting irresponsible and, in fact, counterproductive for the people who do want to tell their stories ... We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue. That said, we are happy to see people speaking out about behavior that made them uncomfortable. As for us, we parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences.

Jones and McCormack said that even though they left "Toy Story 4" and Pixar for this, they remain fans of the enormous talent at the studio as well as their films.

But it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice, as is demonstrated by their director demographics: out of the 20 films in the company's history, only one was co-directed by a woman and only one was directed by a person of color. We encourage Pixar to be leaders in bolstering, hiring, and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and leaders. We hope we can encourage all those who have felt like their voices could not be heard in the past to feel empowered.

"Toy Story 4" will hit the theaters June 21, 2019.