Shrek is no stranger to a sequel or spin-off.
The franchise currently spans four movies, including the original Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek The Third and Shrek Forever After, plus a few Puss In Boots spin-offs, a Shrek stage musical and a couple of TV Shrek Christmas specials.
The original cast has not reunited in its entirety since 2010. But this may be about to change…
WATCH: Shrek the Musical premieres in Sydney
Dreamworks creative collaborator and Illumination animation co-founder, Chris Meledandri, confirmed in an interview with Variety that Shrek 5 is definitely incoming — and there is a high likelihood the original cast will return.
The original cast, including Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), plus Shrek 2 addition Antonio Banderas (Puss In Boots) have reportedly been in talks with executives.
“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,” Meledandri confirmed.
Earlier this year, Eddie Murphy announced he’d love to return to the character of Donkey.
“If [DreamWorks] ever came with another ‘Shrek,’ I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey. They did ‘Puss in Boots’ movies. I was like, ‘They should have done 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,” he said.
Meledandri said he was “thrilled” to hear about Murphy’s strong enthusiasm and also said, “without question”, he would be up for a Donkey spin-off.
The Shrek 5 project has been in the works for a while, and Meledandri — who is also responsible for such box office hits as Despicable Me and the incoming Super Mario movie – had already stated his desire to get the original crew back together.
“When you look back on those vocal performances they’re awesome, and while you certainly could make a case for a complete reinvention, I find myself responding to my own nostalgic feelings of wanting to go back to those characterisations,” Meledandri told Variety back in 2018.
“The challenge for us has been to find something that really does feel like it’s not simply yet another film in a series of sequels.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
