Tim Allen appears to confirm his return as Buzz Lightyear in 'Toy Story 5'

Tim Allen has appeared to confirm his return as legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 5, according to a recent tweet.

Allen, 69, has voiced the role of Buzz since the release of the first Toy Story back in 1995, reprising his role for its sequels in 1999, 2010, and 2019. Known for his tagline: "To infinity and beyond!" the loveable superhero toy action figure is certainly a favorite among fans.

The Pixar movie series focuses on an eclectic group of toys - including cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks), cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), Mrs. Potato Head (Estelle Harris), and many more - who come to life while their owner isn't watching.

Having four films spread out over 20 years has meant that the series has gained a large following of loyal fans of all different generations. "See ya soon Woody," Allen wrote on Twitter, "you are a sad strange little man and you have my pity. And off we go to a number 5! To infinity and beyond!"

Despite only making the announcement today (February 9) the Tweet has gone viral, raking up over 32,000 likes and 1.6 million views at the time of publishing.

Thousands of users flocked to the comments section to express their excitement, with one person writing: "It's about Damn time! we love you Buzz."

Another person wrote that it was about time another film came, given that the fourth installment was underwhelming compared to the success of the third. "This better be the best Toy Story ever made cuz 3 ended perfectly and y'all ruined it with 4," they wrote.

"They love to get as much miles out of Toy Story as they can. Soon it will rival Godzilla and James Bond 007 for most amount of sequels," someone else cheekily quipped.

The news comes fresh off Pamela Anderson's allegations that Allen had flashed her on the set of Home Improvement in the 1990s.

In her memoir, Love Pamela, the 55-year-old former model writes: "On the first day of filming [Home Improvement], I walked out of my dressing room, and Tim was in the hallway in his robe. He opened his robe and flashed me quickly - completely naked underneath.

"He said it was only fair, because he had seen me naked. Now we're even. I laughed uncomfortably," she added, referring to how she'd already posed naked for Playboy magazine prior to Allen's lewd comment.

Allen released a statement denying the incident, saying: "No, it never happened. I would never do such a thing."

In response, Anderson told Entertainment Tonight Canada: "How could you make that up?... You can't make that stuff up. He has to deny it because look at the times we're in. What if he said, 'Oh yeah, I did that.'"

The Barb Wire actress then added that "a lot of these stories" in her memoir are "just the tip of the iceberg".

Featured image credit: Abaca Press / Alamy.