Contrary to earlier reports, Rashida Jones and Will McCormack have denied that they left Toy Story 4 due to unwanted advances from John Lasseter. They cited a workplace that did not value women and people of color as the reason for their exit.In a joint statement sent to Brooks Barnes of the New York Times, Jones and McCormack stated that "The Hollywood Reporter does not speak for us. We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue. That said, we are happy to see people speaking out about behavior that made them uncomfortable. We parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences."RELATED: Disney and Pixar’s John Lasseter on Leave of Absence After ‘Missteps’"There is so much talent at Pixar and we remain enormous fans of their films. However, it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice," they continued. "Out of the 20 films in the company's history, only one was co-directed by a woman and only one was directed by a person of color. We encourage Pixar to be leaders in bolstering, hiring, and promoting more diverse and female storytellers and leaders."

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Jones and McCormack had been hired to write the screenplay for the upcoming film. Toy Story 4, directed by Josh Cooley, is scheduled for a June 21, 2019 release. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are expected to reprise their roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear.