Billy Crystal Is Confirmed For A New Pixar Series
Billy Crystal is coming back to the animated world, letting everyone know that he'll be voicing a major character in an upcoming Disney+ show
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Billy Crystal doesn’t churn out movies the way he used to back in the day, but the iconic actor is still putting in work when the opportunity is right. And it’s a great thing to see that he’ll be returning to voice one of his more classic animated characters in more than just a one-off movie. Crystal will soon be returning to the world of Monsters, Inc when the characters get their own show on Disney+.
In the interview with Collider, Billy Crystal confirmed he will once again voice the role of Michael “Mike” Wazowski, this time in the upcoming Disney+ show Monsters at Work. Crystal discussed some of the other casting decisions as well, letting everyone know that John Goodman was coming back again as his running mate James “Sulley” Sullivan.
According to Billy Crystal, Monsters at Work will take place a few months after the events of Monsters, Inc. Remember that the follow-up film Monsters University was actually a prequel to the original film. This new show will follow the pair as they transition the Monstropolis to the sound of laughter instead of screaming to fuel their society. Also returning to the cast are John Ratzenberger as Yeti, Jennifer Tilly as Celia Mae, and Bob Peterson as Roz.
It’s a testament to the new world order of content that this kind of star firepower would return for a television series rather than a big-budget movie, but that’s the way of the world now. It’s becoming increasingly clear that with the growing popularity of streaming services, stars like Billy Crystal and others will have no problem jumping on board for a television show. They now likely have the same production value (or better) as movies from the past.
Monsters at Work will be the next addition to the Monsters, Inc franchise which includes the two aforementioned films. Billy Crystal and Goodman helped lend a ton of “humanity” to two monsters who figured out that scaring kids wasn’t going to be the best long-term option. The films were massive successes, scoring more than a combined $1.3 billion at the box office on about $315 million in budget costs. And from a critical perspective, the flicks were the typical Pixar fare, crushing it out of the park with critics. The first film sits at 96% on the Tomatometer with the prequel at 80%.
As of right now, Monsters at Work doesn’t have a clear release date. Originally the show was supposed to have been released on Disney+ sometime in 2020, but Billy Crystal intimated in the interview that the production had been significantly slowed because of pandemic-related closings and regulations. Currently, there is no specific timing on when we actually get Mike and Sully back on the screen.
As for Billy Crystal, his next on-screen role will be in Here Today. He wrote, directed, and starred in the film about an aging comedy writer who befriends a young street singer (Tiffany Haddish). That film is due out later this year in theaters.
