Summary

• Anticipation for Cars 4 is high, but Disney has not addressed any details for the movie.
• Producers have shown openness to expanding the franchise, with potential for a new lightning McQueen narrative.
• Story details remain a mystery, focusing on potential Cruz Ramirez involvement and moving away from McQueen.

The Cars franchise has been a huge success for Pixar, but despite continual demand Cars 4 still hasn't materialized. Cars movie follows talking race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), who gets lost in a desert town on his way to a race and is forced to complete community service before he can leave. The cocky racer eventually falls in love with the small town after spending time with the residents and learns a little humility. While Cars wasn't critically acclaimed like other Pixar efforts like Toy Story or Monsters Inc, it was still a big success. Cars also boasted a great cast, including the legendary Paul Newman.

It's been years since the last movie, meaning anticipation for Cars 4 is high. 2017's Cars 3 was regarded as a positive direction for the franchise, an improvement on the second movie that tackled some darker themes than Cars and Cars 2. Cars also launched a number of spinoffs, including numerous short films, video games, and the spin-off movie franchise Planes. The Cars franchise and its lead, Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen, have collectively grossed over $1 billion worldwide — and much, much more in merchandise — but no significant Cars 4 details have emerged.

The Latest Cars 4 News

Ka-Chow!

News about Cars 4 hasn't just been scant — it's been virtually nonexistent. After the Cars on the Road series hit Disney+ on September 8, 2022, many expected details regarding Cars 4 to come out sooner rather than later. That being said, Disney hasn't addressed the issue of Cars 4 in years. However, while Disney has announced many sequels throughout 2023 including Zootopia 2, Toy Story 5, and Frozen 3, news on Cars 4 still hasn't emerged. Owen Wilson's 2017 comments during the press tour for Cars 3, when he confirmed he'd be up for another entry, remain the most tangible news on Cars 4 so far (via Cinema Blend). Other than that, not a peep has been heard about a new Cars movie.

Cars 4 is Unconfirmed

But Could It Become Only The Second Pixar Franchise With 4 Movies?

Cars 4 isn't confirmed, and probably won't be happening with Pixar's current slate of movies. Back in 2017, producers Kevin Reher and Andrea Warren had spoken about their openness to expanding the Cars franchise: “Like any sequel, from Toy Story 4 to Incredibles 2, 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" (via Collider).

Owen Wilson has also talked about a possible return for another Lightning McQueen sequel, suggesting a radical reinvention of the racing series: “I would imagine that if they do do another one, it’ll be something pretty cool. But yeah maybe like Lightning McQueen in sort of like a thriller. Maybe that could be something,” Wilson told Cinema Blend in 2017. Yet despite their excitement, news about Cars 4 has only seen radio silence.

The fact Cars 4 isn't happening is a little surprising. The Pixar movie series ranks high, with Cars toys and merchandise profits being among the studio's highest. In 2012, Forbes listed Cars as raking in an enormous $1.05 billion. However, that pulling power might not be quite as significant several years after Cars 3, which made the 2002 Disney+ spinoff Cars On The Road spin-off series the perfect compromise. If the series does well, Pixar might reevaluate its stance on Cars 4.

Cars 4 Cast

All Revved Up for the Next Race

The cast of Cars 4 isn't confirmed, though it's possible to make some predictions based on previous Cars movies. It is almost guaranteed that Cars 4 would include Owen Wilson (Loki, Zoolander) returning as Lightning McQueen. The second actor returning for Cars 4 is likely Larry the Cable Guy (Witless Protection, Tooth Fairy 2) as Mater. In an interview in 2020, Larry the Cable Guy said he would be "happy" to return to the franchise if there is a new movie (via Pop Culture).

"Well, I'll tell you what I don't know, but if you hear, let me know and I'll call Owen. Because that's what we're trying to figure out. You know what, I don't know. That was a fun thing to do... You would think if you put in a billion-dollar theme park, you probably got to keep putting fuel in the tank. You would think. So I don't know."

It would also make sense to bring back Cristela Alonzo as Cruz Ramirez for the Cars 4 cast. In Cars 3, Lightning knew he was getting old, and it looked like the franchise, and Lightning himself, was setting things up to have Cruz as the future. However, Alonzo hasn't talked about returning for Cars 4, and it is unknown who outside of Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy could return for another movie in the series.

Cars 4 Story Details

Who's Back in the Driver's Seat?

The plot of Cars 4 is a total mystery, although it would likely focus once again Cruz Ramirez. Cars 3 introduced Ramirez as Lightning's trainer, but she eventually takes his spot in the final race. The third film was also described as the third act of McQueen's career, with the ending seeming to suggest Cruz would become the new racer while Lightning would act as a mentor.

Cars 3 producers Kevin Reher and Andrea Warren were even quoted in a 2019 article from The Cinemaholic as saying that they could see Cruz's Cars character involved in a possible version of Cars 4 if she ended up being a "breakout character" in Cars 3. And, of course, she arguably became just that (unlike Lightning McQueen's Cars 3 rival Jackson Storm). Past comments from the Cars team also suggest the franchise would move further away from Lightning McQueen. In 2017, Brian Fee (who directed the third film) said in an interview (via Cinemablend):

"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 [another sequel]. 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."

What Pixar's Recent And Upcoming Releases Mean For Cars 4

Is Cars 4 Revving Up or Stuck in Neutral?

Cars 4 could come at an interesting time for Pixar, as over the past several years both they and Disney have flip-flopped between being adverse to sequels and exploring them in earnest. Despite being based on a character from one of Pixar's most popular franchises, Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear's solo movie Lightyear was a box office flop. It only grossed $224 million against a $200 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), which for such a seemingly bankable Pixar project was incredibly low.

Lightyear is considered by Pixar and Disney to be an original concept movie, despite being a Toy Story spin-off of sorts, and so its failure may give them pause for thought before writing off new entries in existing IPs like the Cars franchise. However, in the time since Lightyear it was confirmed that both Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2 are in the works at Pixar, and Disney is also creating more sequels like Zootopia 2 and Frozen 3. If these are successful it could make Cars 4 much more likely to get the green light.

In Cars, specifically, John Lasseter added some "easter eggs" related to Toy Story, including the famous Pizza Planet truck.

On the other hand, it could be argued that Lightyear isn't an entirely original movie. It still hinged on audiences knowing the Buzz Lightyear character from Toy Story to sell tickets. Anything adjacent to Toy Story was assumed to be box office gold, but Lightyear proved this isn't the case. Especially after the acclaim that truly original movies like Soul and Luca received, it might be that Disney and Pixar see Lightyear as a sign that the era of franchise sequels is well and truly over for Pixar. Only time and the success or failure of Inside Out 2 will tell what lies in store for Cars 4.