The man behind Woody wonders if they could make a film without him.

Toy Story 6? Tom Hanks weighs in on the future of the franchise: ‘It better be worthwhile’ (exclusive)

The man behind Woody wonders if they could make a film without him.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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and Nick Romano

Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in Vanity Fair, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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June 19, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) and Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) in 'Toy Story 5'. Credit:

- Tom Hanks is speculating on whether there will be a *Toy Story 6*.

- The Oscar winner thinks there could be a world where a film is made without him.

- *Toy Story 5* is now out in theaters.

If there's another *Toy Story*, Tom Hanks just hopes that it is "worthwhile" — whether he's actively involved or not.

Hanks and Tim Allen returned to their iconic roles of Woody and Buzz Lightyear with Friday's release of *Toy Story 5*, but with another record-breaking opening looking likely, could there be a sixth film on the way?

"If you're gonna do another *Toy Story*, it better be worthwhile," Hanks tells **. "It better be great. You better be examining some theme that is not just dragging it out because people like the title. I mean, it is a huge corporate business without a doubt, I'm not gonna discount that. But unless it's good, new, fresh, there's no reason to do it at all."

Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), and Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) in 'Toy Story 5'.

*Toy Story* *5* director Andrew Stanton, who has been involved with writing all of the installments, already told EW that "this is probably the last one I'm gonna do."

The new film firmly brings the *Toy Story* Universe into the technology age. The toys are threatened when Bonnie's (Scarlett Spears) parents buy her Lilypad (Greta Lee), a smart device designed to help her connect with other kids her age in a virtual playground rather than a physical one.

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With technology and A.I. taking over our own reality, Hanks can't help but wonder if there's a world where *Toy Story *continues on without him by using all of his recordings from the last 30 years of voicing Woody.

"Time is undefeated," he says. "The question would be whether or not we could cobble together some version of me. Every word we have ever recorded in time in *Toy Story* is on digital media somewhere, so they could put together anything they would want."

Hanks and Allen concur that the idea is "a scary thought."

*Toy Story 5* is now in theaters.

- Animated Movies

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Source: “AOL Animated”