New Faces at the Hopping Lamp

I'm sure you've heard them, but Pixar announcements have been coming out left and right. Yes, aside from the nice new posters for Monsters University (opening June 21st), we've been getting more details on upcoming projects.

However, the details don't exactly tell us what projects they are. No word on any titles or what the release dates are, just information concerning who is on board for these said films.

What we know is that Teddy Newton will make his directorial debut soon. Teddy Newton is a Pixar veteran, who directed the groundbreaking Day & Night (the short attached to Toy Story 3) and also has a distinct voice which he provided for characters like the news announcer in The Incredibles and Chatter Telephone in Toy Story 3. He also notably supplied his voice for Brad Bird's excellent Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Pixar has been giving people outside the Lasseter-Stanton-Docter trio a shot at lead director lately: Lee Unkrich with Toy Story 3 and the untitled Dia De Los Muertos, Brad Lewis with Cars 2, Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews with Brave, Dan Scanlon with Monsters University and Bob Peterson with The Good Dinosaur.

The screenplay will be penned by Safety Not Guaranteed scribe Derek Connolly (pictured above). Safety Not Guaranteed was a critical darling, and the directorial debut of Colin Trevorrow, who was one of the desired directors for the next chapter of Star Wars; though he confirmed that he won't be directed it. That being said, Pixar is really branching out with their choice of screenwriters as well. Early on, talent like Joss Whedon would often contribute to the writing, but most of the film are written and handled by the Brain Trust members themselves or veterans. Another example of this is Michael Arndt, who was given the Herculean task of writing the screenplay for Toy Story 3 and making sure it stuck to the main tone of the first two while going a decidedly darker and less comedic route than its predecessors. Recently, Pixar hired Mad Men writer Marti Noxon to provide the screenplay for a film, many of which have speculated that it will be the currently untitled film that's slated to hit theaters on November 25, 2015.

Teddy Newton's film may or may not be the November 2015 title, plus we have no idea on what Noxon was hired for. Who knows, Noxon could've been attached to Unkrich's film or maybe something else entirely. As usual with Pixar, most of the details about their upcoming projects are drenched in secrecy. After all, it makes speculating fun.

Rumors are going around about Pete Docter's "Inside the Mind" film. The title is supposedly Inside Out, but it may not be. We may find out soon enough, though.

So now, we've got...

Monsters University - June 21, 2013
The Good Dinosaur - May 30, 2014
"Inside the Mind" - June 19, 2015
Untitled - November 25, 2015
"Dia De Los Muertos" - TBD
Finding Nemo 2* - TBD
Untitled Teddy Newton Film - TBD

Given Pixar's one film a year routine, I have a feeling the untitled 2015 film will move, but again you never know. There's a lot to look forward to. The more Pixar news, the more excitement...