DreamWorks and Universal's upcoming Shrek 5 has gotten huge updates — including a release date — here is what we know.
When does Shrek 5 come out?
On July 9, 2024, the Shrek 5 release date was revealed to be July 1, 2026, just under two years after the announcement. In the announcement, there is a cheeky reference to Smash Mouth's iconic song “All Star.”
“The all-star returns,” the poster reads.
The song also plays in the background of the moving poster. The “5” in it resembles Shrek with its green color and ears on top.
By the time Shrek 5 comes out, it will have been over 16 years since the last installment. That is the largest gap between sequels by a long distance. The gaps between the first four movies were all around three years or less.
However, since the fourth Shrek movie came out, two spin-off movies have come out. Puss in Boots was released in October 2011. A sequel, The Last Wish, was released over 11 years later in December 2022.
Walt Dohrn and Brad Ableson will direct Shrek 5 based on a script written by Michael McCullers. Chris Meledandri developed the story for the movie.
Is the cast returning?
Luckily for fans, the main Shrek cast is returning for the fifth movie. In the announcement, it was revealed that core cast members Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz will all reprise their roles of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona, respectively.
It is unclear if other cast members such as Antonio Banderas will also return as Puss in Boots. But, for now, the leading trio are confirmed to be back.
Are there more installments coming?
In addition to Shrek 5, Eddie Murphy recently announced that a spin-off revolving around his character, Donkey, is coming. During an interview with Collider, Murphy said that after Shrek 5, “we're doing a Donkey one next.”
The Shrek franchise
The Shrek franchise dates back to May 18, 2001, when the inaugural movie was released. It was loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book of the same name written by William Steig.
In the first movie, an ogre named Shrek attempts to regain his swamp home. It is overtaken by ruler Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow), who banishes all creatures. To get his swamp back, he teams with Donkey and makes a deal with Lord Farquaad to save Princess Fiona.
Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman wrote the script together. The movie was a big hit and made over $484 million worldwide.
This movie kicked off one of the biggest animated franchises in Hollywood. The sequel came out a few years later and made over $920 million worldwide. Despite a bigger budget of $150 million, it made nearly double its predecessor. Shrek 2 also remains the highest-grossing movie domestically in the series, making over $440 million.
Shrek the Third came out in 2007 and had similar success. It grossed over $810 million worldwide. However, the follow-up, Shrek Forever After, became the lowest-grossing installment since the first movie, making just $752 million.
The two Puss in Boots spin-off movies made even less. The first movie grossed $554 million. Its sequel, The Last Wish, grossed over $480 million during its theatrical run.
DreamWorks and Universal are likely hoping for Shrek 5 to make a big splash. We will see if the long gap since the last installment drums up more interest.
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