On Thursday we lost one of the greatest comedic minds ever to grace the world – Don Rickles – and he used that mind to take down everyone unlucky enough to be on the other end of it and his veracious wit. He was a true legend who found a new kind of fame when he was cast as the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the TOY STORY series, which will release a fourth movie in the near future.
However, THR is reporting that Mr. Rickles had yet to record any dialogue for the upcoming sequel. The movie has been undergoing rewrites, and Rickles had yet to be brought in to do any recordings. This of course could mean the character will not be featured in the fourth outing with the toys, including Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen).
But this is not the first time, even recently, that a tragic loss has forced filmmakers to get creative. The visual effects and sound crew working on FURIOUS 7 used digital recreations and past vocal recordings of Paul Walker to finish the movie, which was not yet done when he passed in 2013. So, it’s possible sound editors on TOY STORY 4 could take previous dialogue from the last three films and splice together something for the new film, but there’s no word yet on if that will be the case.
Director John Lasseter put out a statement after Rickles passed saying:
The wit, personality, and incredible timing he brought to Mr. Potato Head lit up the character and made him an essential part of the Toy Story ensemble. Even though Mr. Potato Head’s facial features fell off in every Toy Story movie, his heart never left him — that was because of Don.
Like many folks my age, STORY was my first introduction to Rickles, but since then I discovered whole new sides of him in movies like CASINO, and the terrific 2007 documentary MR. WARMTH: THE DON RICKLES PROJECT, which is required viewing for anyone who wants to know more about the comic juggernaut. No matter what decision the filmmakers decide to go with, his unique voice and timing will be sorely missed.