DreamWorks Animation, the company behind the iconic franchise, has confirmed that Shrek 5 is in development, after 12 years since the last movie‘s release, with its original cast returning.
Eddie Murphy, who voiced and brought to life Donkey in the comedy, confirmed his involvement in recent days by discussing the project and also announcing that his character will have a cinematic spin-off.
So far, not much is known about the new installment, but it’s been revealed that Michael McCullers, Christopher Meledandri and William Steig are the ones in charge of the script for the dramedy.
When will Shrek 5 be released?
After almost 15 years of getting to know Shrek and all the iconic characters of the animated saga, it was announced that they will be back in a fifth installment, which already has Eddie Murphy confirmed as Donkey.
The actor spoke with Steve Weintraub of Collider and during an interview, confessed that he has already recorded his lines for the new movie and that he believes Shrek 5 will hit the big screen at some point in 2025.
Despite the statements from the iconic comedic actor, the movie has been delayed a bit more and it has been confirmed to arrive on July 1, 2026, meaning it will be competing with Toy Story 5 in theaters.
He also assured that a film about his character, which is sure to have plenty of drama and incredible lines, is being developed. “I think it’s coming out in 2025, and we’re doing a Donkey one next”, he said.
The legacy of Shrek will be quite significant and it was expected that at some point, the swampy world we knew in 2001 would continue to expand, especially after Puss in Boots had his spin-off too.
“We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie. We’re gonna do Donkey as well. So we’re gonna do a Shrek, and we’re doing a Donkey [movie]”, he concluded.