Empire is reporting two exciting pieces of news from yesterday's Disney-themed showcase in London. John Lasseter, Pixar's chief creative officer and the director of several of the studio's features, announced that Timothy Dalton will have a role in Toy Story 3. He also discussed several plot details of Cars 2.
Dalton starred in two James Bond movies in the '80s as well as several TV adaptations of 19th-century British novels. You may also remember him as the thin-mustached villain of The Rocketeer. For Toy Story 3, he will play the role of Mr. Pricklepants, a theatrical hedgehog whose role in the story is not quite clear.
Continuing on the Bond theme, Cars 2 will apparently involve a spy subplot. The story's framework involves Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) traveling around the world competing in an international competition. Destinations include Japan, Germany, Italy, France, and the UK. Along the way, Mater gets involved in a case of mistaken identity when he saves the life of a British agent named Finn McMissile. Guess what? According to Empire, McMissile looks like an Aston Martin.
There's no word yet as to who will voice the character, but we agree with Empire: After the announcement about Dalton, it seems appropriate that Pixar would consider other former Bonds for the role, if not Dalton himself.