"Cars 2" Coming Soon(ish)?

For the moment, this story falls under the category of "wild speculation masquerading as rumor," but we suppose Pixar has earned the privilege of having its every move dissected — past, present, and future — so here’s some dish about what the studio might be planning for, um, 2011.

JV Pixar News reports that "a very reliable anonymous source" is saying "Cars 2" will be Pixar’s follow-up to "Toy Story 3," which is currently slotted for a summer 2010 release. As the article points out, one hurdle facing a sequel is the recently-announced retirement of "Cars" star Paul Newman, but if Pixar has a choice between making another bajillion dollars or ending a potential franchise, it’s hard to see them choosing anything but the former.

Again, this isn’t based on much of anything other than a heard-it-from-this-one-guy report, from Al Lutz at Miceage, claiming Newman was heard saying, at the Indy 500, that "Cars 2" would be coming out; on the other hand, something has to go on Burger King cups four years from now, and those adorable "Cars"-toons are as good as any.

Source: JV Pixar News