Tom Hanks has shared a “scary thought” about how artificial intelligence could be used to recreate his iconic Toy Story character, Woody, without his actual involvement.
Speaking after Toy Story 5 set a franchise record with a massive $312 million worldwide opening, the two-time Oscar winner opened up about the inevitability of a sixth film and the reality that Disney may no longer need him to voice the beloved cowboy.
Hanks revealed that because every single word he has ever recorded for the 31-year-old franchise is securely stored on digital media, the studio possesses the power to digitally compile his past audio data to construct an entirely new performance, a prospect that both he and his longtime co-star Tim Allen find deeply unsettling.
Addressing whether he would formally return for a potential Toy Story 6, Hanks told Entertainment Weekly that any future installment must have a genuinely worthwhile purpose.
He stressed that a sequel needs to explore a great, fresh, and new theme rather than simply dragging out the narrative because audiences love the title, explicitly acknowledging that while the franchise is undoubtedly a massive corporate business, there is no reason to do it at all unless the material is exceptional.
However, the legendary actor remains aware that the choice to continue might ultimately bypass his own creative consent.
Reflecting on the capabilities of modern tech, Hanks observed that time is undefeated, raising the question of whether a digital version of himself could simply be made using the vast archives of recorded audio at Disney’s disposal.
This deep anxiety about AI and deepfake technology is not entirely new for Hanks, who previously reflected on its long-term industry implications during an episode of The Adam Buxton Podcast in 2023.
He noted that actors’ careers can now theoretically continue long after they pass away, tracing his first encounter with extensive digital data logging back to Robert Zemeckis’ 2004 Christmas movie The Polar Express.
Hanks recalled that the team foresaw the coming ability to transform computer code into realistic faces and characters, a technology that has expanded a billion-fold since then.
He warned that anyone can now replicate themselves at any age, noting that even if he were hit by a bus tomorrow, his performances could go on and on and on and on.
He concluded that outside the general understanding of AI and deepfakes, there will eventually be nothing to tell audiences that it is not him alone on screen.
While Hanks views this as an undeniable lifelike achievement, he maintains that it poses as much of a legal challenge to the entertainment industry as it does an artistic one, even as Toy Story 5 continues its record-breaking run in cinemas nationwide.
