Ernie Hudson to voice Combat Carl in Toy Story 5, taking over for Carl Weathers

Ernie Hudson, the 80-year-old actor currently starring on CBS’ Boston Blue and BET’s The Family Business, is set to voice Combat Carl in the upcoming Toy Story 5, taking over the role for the late Carl Weathers. Hudson’s recent voice work also earned an Emmy nomination for Angry Birds Mystery Island.

Hudson’s voiceover career has a long history and some early setbacks: when Ghostbusters was adapted into the 1986 animated series The Real Ghostbusters, Hudson was passed over for the same role of Winston Zeddemore (the part went to Arsenio Hall), which he has said was disappointing and came during a period when work was scarce.

He was also credited as the first actor to play the DC character Cyborg in a 1985 episode of Super Friends and has appeared in many animated series, including a recurring role in Transformers: Prime and a recent appearance on Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

On Toy Story 5, Hudson said he knew Carl Weathers and was surprised to learn from fans that Weathers had originated Combat Carl; he added that he wasn’t shown the character’s look and intended to bring his own approach to the role.

Hudson described voice roles as part of a long, sometimes uneven career — from gaps in work after the Ghostbusters films to later steady projects — and said the Toy Story casting was still early in the process, with some details not yet shared publicly.

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