'Toy Story 4' Is Happening!

Here's a bit of a surprise: Disney is planning yet another "Toy Story" sequel!

Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed today on the D23 fan site that "Toy Story 4" is officially happening. As of now, it looks like original "Toy Story" director John Lasseter will be on board to direct, and Iger claims that the story was cooked up by Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, who all worked on previous "Toy Story" movies.

The news is being met with cautious enthusiasm from fans. On the one hand, a new "Toy Story" movie has traditionally always been a good thing, as all three prior movies have been almost universally loved by critics ("Toy Story 3" was about one review away from a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes).

On the other hand, "Toy Story 3" was considered by many to be the perfect ending to the story of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys, as Andy moved off to college and found them a new, loving home.

Lasseter said as much in his statement, and reassured fans that the movie is in good hands. "We love these characters so much; they are like family to us,” Lasseter said. “We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before. Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz’s story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie. But when Andrew, Pete, Lee, and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie—and I wanted to direct it myself."

Less encouraging is the writing team chosen for the job: "The Office" star Rashida Jones and writing partner Will McCormack have been tapped to write the script. The two have only two credits: feature film "Celeste and Jesse Forever" and an episode of the soon-to-be-canceled "A to Z."

It's entirely possible that Jones and McCormack could write a script of the same quality as the first three movies, but they're being handed the keys to one of the most beloved franchises of all time after practically having just gotten their driver's licenses.

The movie is set for a June 16, 2017 release.