NEWS'Toy Story 6' Gets Reality Check From Tom Hanks as Actor Shares Concerns About Woody's Future
Tom Hanks predicts Woody's 'scary' future as fans demand 'Toy Story 6.'
June 19 2026, Updated 4:46 p.m. ET
Tom Hanks predicts a “scary” future for Sheriff Woody as Toy Story 6 buzz builds. Hanks reprised his iconic pull-stringed cowboy protagonist, Sheriff Woody, in Toy Story 5, released on June 19.
Although the legendary actor has remained a pillar in all of the franchise's movies to date, he recently revealed that the future might look drastically different.
Hanks spoke to Entertainment Weekly following the movie's release, saying he fears the franchise might continue by digitizing his voice with AI.
“Time is undefeated,” he said in the interview, adding the real question would be “whether or not we could cobble together some version of me" for potential future films.
“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 continued, before concluding that it is “a scary thought.”
His costar and another Toy Story veteran Tim Allen, who reprised his character Buzz Lightyear in the recent installment of the franchise, and was present during the interview, wholeheartedly agreed with him.
Tom Hanks Claims Any Future 'Toy Story' Movie Will Have to Be 'Worthwhile'
Tom Hanks stated that any future 'Toy Story' movie would have to be 'great.'
The 69-year-old actor also told the outlet that any future movie in the franchise would have to be near perfect for it to draw fans to the theater.
“If you're gonna do another Toy Story, it better be worthwhile,” the Forrest Gump star said in the interview.
“It better be great. You better be examining some theme that is not just dragging it out because people like the title,” he added.
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Tom Hanks said any future 'Toy Story' installment would need a 'fresh' story.
Hanks also acknowledged that it is a “huge corporate business without a doubt.” While he isn't “gonna discount” that, he noted that there needs to be proper substance for the story to take root.
“Unless it's good, new, fresh, there's no reason to do it at all,” the Saving Private Ryan star concluded.
'Toy Story 5' Brings the Franchise to the Age of Technology
Tom Hanks discussed concerns about AI potentially being used to recreate voices in the future.
The Toy Story franchise so far has stayed true to its central conflicts of identity, community, and fear of abandonment.
That is, until Toy Story 5 introduced the brand new concept of children getting immersed in technology to the point of addiction.
The threat Lilypad (Greta Lee) posed to traditional toys became tenfold when Bonnie’s (Scarlett Spears) parents encouraged her to make friends of her own age through a virtual playground.
The film introduces technology as a central theme, expanding on the franchise's traditional focus on identity, belonging and change.
Tom Hanks' return for a potential 'Toy Story 6' is uncertain.
As such, Hanks' statement about keeping the story fresh for a Toy Story 6 is understandable. Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton already admitted to Entertainment Weekly that “this is probably the last one [he’s] gonna do,” despite spending years crafting the storylines throughout the franchise.
