- The first Shrek movie came out in 2001.
- There’s been three Shrek sequels and two spinoff films.
- Shrek 5 was basically confirmed in April 2023.
After years of waiting, it’s looking like Shrek 5 is finally going to happen. Shrek changed everything when that big (and sometimes) friendly ogre came into our lives all the way back in 2001, and he’s been our beloved green ogre ever since. Over the past 20 years, the Shrek franchise — Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After — has become a global phenomenon and made over $1 billion at the box office.
It’s been over a decade since the last Shrek movie, Shrek Forever After, was in theaters and fans are anxiously awaiting news about Shrek 5. Luckily, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri gave a hopeful update about the next sequel on April 4, 2023. HollywoodLife has rounded up all the latest updates about the movie’s development, the cast, and more.
Will There Be A Shrek 5?
Is there going to be a Shrek 5? Signs are pointing to yes. On April 4, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri basically confirmed that a fifth movie is happening. “We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return,” he told Variety. Chris also hinted that Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, would be worthy of a spinoff film.
Antonio Banderas, who voices Puss in Boots in the Shrek universe, gave an update about Shrek 5 in a Dec. 2022 interview while promoting Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which was a big success at the box office. “I’ve been with this cat for almost 20 years. The first time I did Puss in Boots, I was working on Broadway, so I did my first session there. I’ve done five movies now. There is probably gonna be another, and Shrek is probably coming back,” he told Deadline.
There’s been talk of Shrek 5 for years, dating as far back as 2004. Shrek 5 has been in development limbo ever since. Back in 2004, DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed a 5-film plan for Shrek had been mapped out. When the third Shrek film was released back in 2007, Jeffrey said at the time that Shrek 5 would be released in 2013. Nearly 10 years later in 2016, THR reported that Shrek 5 would hit theaters in 2019.
Those release dates never came to fruition. In 2017, screenwriter Michael McCullers revealed that Shrek 5 was “being developed.” He explained to THR, “I finished that script, which I really, really, really love. It’s really personal to me. It’s got a pretty big reinvention behind it that I guess I can’t really reveal, but since DreamWorks was sold to Universal in that time for over $3 billion, I imagine they’re particularly interested in it stepping up and actually figuring out the future of the franchise in that way on the corporate level. Reinvention was sort of called for. There’s been four movies and a lot of material, so the characters are pretty beloved and they’re great characters, but you also have to think of a pretty new take at that point.”
A year later in 2018, Eddie Murphy told ET Canada that the cast was “doing another Shrek” movie following Shrek Forever After. That same month, Variety reported that Shrek and Puss In Boots would be getting revived while retaining the iconic voice cast.
Shrek 5 Release Date
Shrek 5 does not have a release date as of April 2023. The most recent Shrek franchise movie, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, came out in theaters on December 13, 2022. It made over $477 million and was an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film.
Shrek 5 Cast: Who’s Returning?
The Shrek cast became the voices of every millennial viewer’s childhood when the first movie hit theaters back in 2001. Mike Myers voices the titular Shrek, along with Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots.
Mike has been open about returning to the role of Shrek. “I loved playing Shrek. If I had to do one Shrek a year, I’d be thrilled,” he told GQ in 2022.
In late January 2023, Eddie revealed that he was ready to voice Donkey again in another Shrek movie. “I’d absolutely be open if they ever came with another Shrek, I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey,” Eddie told ETalk. “You know, they did Puss in Boots movies. I was like, ‘They should have did a Donkey movie. Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey.”
Cameron hasn’t made any recent comments about returning to the role of Princess Fiona. The actress did take an 8-year hiatus from acting, but she will soon be starring in the Jamie Foxx film Back In Action.
Who Will Be The Villain In Shrek 5?
The villain and other plot points for Shrek 5 have not been revealed or confirmed. Rumpelstiltskin was the villain of Shrek Forever After, but he was defeated by Shrek and the crew.