It's been over ten years since the last instalment in the Shrek franchise, Shrek Forever After, landed in theatres. However, now, executives at DreamWorks have decided that it's finally the perfect time to bring back the world's favourite ogre, hopefully restoring him to his former glory. In an interview with Variety, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri shared the big news, even hinting that we may hear the return of some beloved original voice actors in the forthcoming project.
"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 the outlet. The entertainers in question are Mike Myers, who voiced Shrek, as well as his bride, Princess Fiona (taken on by Cameron Diaz). Of course, the case wouldn't be complete without Eddie Murphy, who brings the beloved Donkey to life in the first four Shrek films. "We anticipate the cast coming back," Meledandri noted, though he made it clear that no one has officially signed on the dotted line as of right now.
Shrek 5 is "In Development" at Dreamworks
While chatting with Variety, the industry executive expressed his joy over reading about Murphy's interest in DreamWorks producing an entire series of films based solely on his character. "If [they] ever came with another Shrek, I'd do it in two seconds," the Haunted Mansion actor previously confirmed. "I love Donkey. They did Puss In Boots movies. I was like, 'They should have done a Donkey movie.'" By his standards, Eddie thinks that his four-legged critter is far funnier than Antonio Banderas'.
As for the other former cast members, Diaz announced her retirement from the acting industry in 2018. However, she recently stepped back into the spotlight for an upcoming project called Back in Action, which also stars Kyle Chandler, Jamie Foxx, and Glenn Close. According to DailyMail, the Netflix Original is expected to drop in 2024. Finally, regarding Myers, the Canadian has also been in talks to reprise his classic role as Austin Powers as of late, though it remains unclear if we'll see that come to fruition. Are you excited about Shrek 5? Let us know in the comments, and revisit the original 2001 film's trailer below.