Everything we know so far about a potential Cars 4

Buckle your seat belts because fans are buzzing about the possibility of a fourth film in the hugely successful Disney franchise Cars! The franchise is set in a world filled with anthropomorphic vehicles. Created by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, and Jorgen Klubien, the first film went into development after finishing the production of the 90s Pixar film A Bug's Life.

The first movie focuses exclusively on a young racecar named Lightning McQueen, who gets stranded in an unincorporated town called Radiator Springs and learns the value of being humble, friendship, and community. Cars starred Owen Wilson as the lead car, Lightning McQueen, the late Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, Bonnie Hunt as Sally, Larry the Cable Guy as Tow Mater, Tony Shalhoub as Luigi, and Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks. Since then, the film has had three films with different variations happening in the cast.

Now that a fourth film is in talks to be released, you may want to know more about what to expect. Rad on to learn more about everything we've heard about a potential Cars 4!

How many Cars series and movies are there?

Cars' first short was Mater and the Ghostlight (2006), which was created for the DVD. The second one was Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool, released 11 years later in 2017. Disney also released two Pixar Popcorn shorts, which were streamed on Disney+. Two additional shorts were released in 2021, Unparalleled Parking and Dancing with the Cars. There are also many televised shorts made to continue the legacy of the franchise, including Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008–2012), Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs (2013–2014), and Cars on the Road (2022).

The success of the Cars franchise

Cars first sped into theaters in 2006 and has earned a lifetime gross of over $200 million. With its additional properties, it's become one of the most recognizable media franchises in the world. The film's famed spin-off franchise Planes, which first took flight into theaters with their first installment in 2013 and spawned a sequel release theatrically in 2014 called Planes: Fire & Rescue. Currently, there are no other plans for a third Planes movie. Cars 2 earned $191 million, and Cars 3 earned $152 million. It's safe to say that a fourth film would be equally if not more successful than the third film.

Is there going to be a Cars 4?

With the success of the first three films, we would be remiss to think that a fourth film isn't going to be in the works. The remaining cast from Cars 3 is expected to remain the same as long as the storyline continues where the 2017 film left off. Of course, it's incredibly helpful to hear from someone who has actually worked closely with the franchise.

According to an interview with Pixar's creative director for the Cars franchise, Jay Ward, Ward disclosed that several Cars projects are in the works. Ward had served as a character manager, art coordinator, and additional voice contributor in both Cars and Cars 3. When asked about if there will be more Cars properties, Ward says, "There are more Cars things brewing, I can't quite say what but Cars has got a life that will keep going."

With that in mind, there is hope that the fourth installment in the Cars franchise will come sooner than we think. See the full video below!

While we don't have an official announcement from Pixar or a solid date on when an announcement will come, the company hosts an annual D24 conference for fans to engage with and be in-the-know on what's to come at Disney across their variety of properties. D23 2024 will happen on Aug. 9, 10, and 11, 2024 in Anaheim, CA. You can visit their website to sign up for updates. For now, if you haven't already, you can stream Cars 3 is currently available to stream on the Disney-owned platform, Disney+.

Are you excited to see Cars 4 when it comes out? What are your predictions for the film? Keep up to date with Hidden Remote for more Cars movie coverage and news!