Shrek is back! Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed that they would be working with DreamWorks Animation on Shrek 5 with negotiations currently ongoing with the original cast.
Following the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri stated in an interview that they planned on getting back together with DreamWorks Animation to revive the Shrek franchise. For the unofficial Shrek 5, the Meledandri also confirmed that they are in ongoing negotiations with the original voice cast and hope to return Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy.
The last Shrek title—Shrek Forever After—was released in 2010 and concluded the storyline of the lovable ogre, Shrek. While Puss in Boots has continued, the Shrek series could be returning soon. While none of the actors are currently signed onto the project, there is enthusiasm, as Eddie Murphy said in an interview in January that he would reprise his role as Donkey “in two seconds.”
Mike Myers, who voices Shrek in all four of the main films, also expressed interest back in May 2022, stating, “I loved playing Shrek, if I had to do one Shrek a year I’d be thrilled.”
“It’s not that dissimilar to the process that we went through with Mario, where you look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved, and you do your very best to honour those core elements,” Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri told Variety. “And then you’re hard at work to build story elements and new characters that take you to brand new places. The original cast is a huge part of that.”
While there is no timetable for the release of Shrek 5, Chris Meledandri seems to be picking up steam on the project after being given the keys to Far Faraway in 2018 by Universal Pictures. The move was made following the sale of DreamWorks Animation to Comcast in 2016 for $3.8 billion. Illumination Entertainment is co-owned by Universal Pictures, which all falls under the Comcast umbrella.
