| Shrek 5 | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster with the original release date | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Michael McCullers |
| Based on | Shrek! byWilliam Steig |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Shrek 5 is an upcoming American animatedfantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture bookShrek! byWilliam Steig, produced byDreamWorks Animation and distributed byUniversal Pictures. The sequel toShrek Forever After (2010), it serves as the fifth main installment and the seventh overall installment in theShrek film series. The film is directed byWalt Dohrn andConrad Vernon and co-directed by Brad Ableson from a screenplay written byMichael McCullers, and produced byIllumination CEOChris Meledandri andGina Shay.Mike Myers,Eddie Murphy, andCameron Diaz will reprise their respective voice roles asthe title character,Donkey, andPrincess Fiona from the previous films, withZendaya joining the cast.
A fifthShrek film was initially planned after the release ofShrek 2 (2004) with a 2013 release date in mind. However, when former DreamWorks CEOJeffrey Katzenberg decided to end the franchise in its fourth film, plans for a fifth installment were abandoned andShrek Forever After was released as the finalShrek film. Eventually, development resurfaced in 2014 and Universal Pictures officially confirmed production of a fifthShrek film when its parent company,NBCUniversal, bought DreamWorks Animation in 2016 with updates following from March 2017 to July 2024.
Shrek 5 is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on December 23, 2026.
After the success ofShrek 2 in May 2004,DreamWorks Animation (DWA) CEOJeffrey Katzenberg planned a five-film arc that began withShrek (2001) and would conclude with a fifth installment.[4] After the release ofShrek the Third in 2007, Katzenberg announced that the fifth film would be released in 2013.[5]
In May 2009, DreamWorks announced that the fourth film's title would beShrek Forever After, indicating that it would be the last in theShrek series.[6] Later in 2009, that was confirmed byBill Damaschke, the former head of creative production at DWA, with him saying: "All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film".[7]Josh Klausner, one of the writers ofShrek Forever After, explained in 2010 the script's evolution: "When I first came onto the project, it wasn't supposed to be the final chapter — there were originally going to be fiveShrek movies. Then, about a year into the development, Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the story that we'd come up with was the right way for Shrek's journey to end, which was incredibly flattering".[8]
In February 2014, during an interview withFox Business, Katzenberg hinted that a fifth film may still be made: "We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest", he said of the characters. "But I think you can be confident that we'll have another chapter in theShrek series. We're not finished, and more importantly, neither is he".[9]
In June 2016, afterNBCUniversal purchased DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, NBCUniversal chiefSteve Burke discussed plans to revive theShrek franchise, as well as other DreamWorks films.[10][11] In July 2016,The Hollywood Reporter cited sources saying that the fifth film was planned for a 2019 release.[12] In September 2016,Eddie Murphy confirmed that the film was expected to be released in 2019 or 2020, and that the script had been completed.[13] The original story for the film was written byMichael McCullers, based on his own idea.[14][15] When asked about the script for a fifthShrek film in March 2017, McCullers said it featured "a pretty big reinvention" for the film series.[16]
In November 2018, it was reported byVariety thatIllumination CEOChris Meledandri had been tasked to be one of the executive producers of both the untitledShrek film and the spin-off filmPuss in Boots: The Last Wish, with the original cast potentially returning.[17][18][19] In December 2022,Antonio Banderas reiterated that a newShrek film was still in development.[20][21][22] The film was teased in themid-credits scene ofPuss in Boots: The Last Wish withPuss returning to Far, Far Away.[23] In April 2023, Meledandri confirmed a fifthShrek film was in development, with the original cast—Murphy,Mike Myers, andCameron Diaz—in negotiations to reprise their roles.[24] Meledandri said the filmmakers would "look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved" and try to "honor those elements" in a similar vein to Illumination'sThe Super Mario Bros. Movie.[25]
In June 2024, while promoting his filmBeverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Murphy confirmed that he had started recording his lines for the film a couple of months earlier,[26] expecting it to be released sometime in 2025.[27] In July 2024, DreamWorks confirmed that Myers, Murphy, and Diaz would reprise their roles in the film, tentatively titledShrek 5.[28]Walt Dohrn, who previously served as a story artist onShrek 2 andShrek the Third, as well as the head of story and voice of Rumpelstiltskin inShrek Forever After, was also attached to direct, with Illumination'sMinions: The Rise of Gru co-director Brad Ableson co-directing andGina Shay co-producing with Meledandri.[1] In January 2025, it was announced thatConrad Vernon, who previously co-directedShrek 2 and voicedGingerbread Man in the previous films, also returned to direct the film alongside Dohrn.[29] In late February 2025, it was revealed thatZendaya had joined the cast, as Shrek and Fiona's daughter Felicia.[2]
The first-look cast announcement trailer was released on February 27, 2025, which introduced a new visual style and updated character appearances, sparking debate. Viewers drew parallels to the backlash againstSonic the Hedgehog's 2019 redesign, with some criticizing the new look for losing Shrek's original appeal and art style,[3][30][31] while others were more positive partially due to the technological advancements since the last main installment.[32][33][34]
Shrek 5 is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 23, 2026.[2] It was previously set for release on July 1, 2026, but was delayed to its current release date withIllumination'sMinions 3 taking over the original release date.[29] It is set to be released 16 years after the release ofForever After and 25 years after the originalShrek film.[28]
As part of Universal's long-term deal withNetflix, the film will stream onPeacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four.[35][36]
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