A new survey of D23 attendees may suggest Cars 4 is speeding down the freeway.
While the Cars franchise has continued on the small screen with the Disney+ original series Cars on the Road and more, the last big-screen venture for Lightning McQueen and the crew came in 2017's trilogy-completing third movie.
Did Disney Just Tease Cars 4 Happening?
Disney may have accidentally revealed plans for Cars 4 thanks to a new survey given to attendees at November's D23 Brazil (via @almanaquedisney).
The questionnaire asked attendees which of the announced projects from the event they were excited for and, despite its absence from the latest D23, Cars 4 was included on the list of options.
As of now, Disney and Pixar have yet to confirm anything about Cars 4, including whether it is in the works, and the franchise was not present during D23 Brazil.
During December 2023's Porsche Rennsport Reunion Event, Cars creator Jay Ward was interviewed by The Late Brake Show and confirmed plans for "some real fun projects" in the Pixar franchise.
Ward noted "there are more Cars things brewing" that fans will see "in a couple of years," but he remains sworn to secrecy for now:
"There are more 'Cars' things brewing, I can’t say much more yet. 'Cars' has got a life that will keep going. I am working on some real fun projects right now that you will see in a couple of years. It takes us a while to make them."
Speaking in an interview with CinemaBlend in April 2017, director Brian Fee revealed he didn't "know the future of the franchise" and whether Lightning McQueen would be the lead of a potential Cars 4:
"I actually don't know the future of the franchise. I don't know where we'll go after that. I don't know if we'll make one. If we do, will it be more McQueen? This is the third act but I don't know how many acts he has in his life. Will other characters be main characters, at this point I have no idea. I think anything's possible."
He added that "as long as there's a good story to tell it's worth investing" before expressing his love for the Cars characters:
"If there's a good story to tell I mean our heads kinda break after having gotten this one done, like oh my god what could you do the further adventures of? But like any sequel, from 'Toy Story 4' to Incredibles, as long as there's a good story to tell it's worth investing, we do love these characters, we love them as much as the public does."
Why Cars 4 Will Likely Happen (And When Will It Release)
Disney has recently dug up several animated franchises to announce new sequels, having announced Ice Age 6, Incredibles 3, Zootopia 2, Frozen 3, Toy Story 5, and Moana 2, all of which are coming many years after their last installments.
Cars 3 was the lowest-grossing movie in the franchise, bringing in $383.5 million worldwide against Cars 2's trilogy-high of $560.1 million. That said, Pixar's racing flick was still a massive success against its $175 million budget, which should far from damn any potential future for Lightning McQueen and the gang.
As Jay Ward has teased more projects in the Cars franchise and Disney is polling fans for their interest in a fourth installment, Cars 4 now seems likely to happen.
But since the Cars franchise has spanned television, short films, games, and the Planes spin-offs, there's no guarantee what Ward was teasing is Cars 4.
With D23 and D23 Brazil now out the way with no news on Cars 4, fans should prepare to wait a while for any announcement or official comments on what, if anything, the future holds for the franchise.
Pixar currently has Elio, Hoppers, Toy Story 5, and Incredibles 3 dated to release between June 2025 and June 2027. As the studio currently has no untitled movie release dates allocated between now and then, moviegoers should prepare for a long wait for Cars 4 if it ever happens, not releasing until at least late 2027.
Read more about the potential release, cast, and story of Pixar's Cars 4.
The first three Cars movies are streaming now on Disney+.
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