Kiwi director Taika Waititi joins the cast of Lightyear

Taika Waititi has joined the cast of Lightyear.

The Jojo Rabbit star will lend his voice to the upcoming Toy Story movie.

The spin-off, which stars Chris Evans as space ranger Buzz Lightyear in the origin story of the character behind the action figure from the animated quadrilogy.

As well as Waititi, it’s been revealed the film’s cast will also feature Scream Queens star Keke Palmer and Orange Is The New Black actor Dale Soules.

Other stars include Uzo Aduba, Efren Ramirez, James Brolin, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Mary McDonald-Lewis.

In a statement, director Angus MacLane said: ‘The cast for ‘Lightyear is truly a dream team.

‘Each of the performers immediately inhabited their character, which gave us the opportunity to play a bit during recording sessions.

Exciting project: The Jojo Rabbit star will lend his voice to the upcoming Toy Story

‘This resulted in a level of specificity that elevated the material and brought additional depth to the characters’ relationships.

‘It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and generous cast.’

Meanwhile, MacLane previously admitted Evans was ‘the first and only choice’ to voice the character, after the toy version was played by Tim Allen in the franchise thus far.

He explained: ‘I wanted the film to have like a gravitas to it and a seriousness to it, but also have an actor who could bring comedy with that seriousness.

Upcoming: The spin-off, which stars Chris Evans as space ranger Buzz Lightyear in the origin story of the character behind the action figure from the animated quadrilogy

‘He was really the first and only choice. I didn’t have a number two. It was very clear from the get-go.

‘It was like, ‘If you were gonna make a legitimate sci-fi film about Buzz Lightyear, who would you get? Well, Chris Evans.’ You need someone that has that star power. If it had to be live-action, who would do it?

‘He can do both.

‘Although that chin would be so weird in live-action. You could never get around that. But he was the first choice and he’s been such an amazing partner.’

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