Shrek 5 Officially In the Works with Original Cast Returning

There is no doubt that Shrek is one of the most beloved animated movie franchises of all time. Despite the titular ogre's story ending back in 2010 with Shrek Forever After, the franchise still went on with the spinoff films starring Puss in Boots and the sequel's recent success reignited some interest in the Shrek universe once again.

Now, it looks like we might officially see Shrek and the gang again soon as Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, who also serves as a creative partner to DreamWorks Animation, revealed in an interview with Variety that they are developing a fifth Shrek film with the original cast returning.

"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 honor those core elements," he said.

"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."

Meledandri also shared that they are currently in negotiations with original cast members such as Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz to reprise their respective voice roles in the film and gave an affirmative sign that the talks are going in the direction that they wanted.

The Illumination CEO added, "We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return.

In addition, Meledandri also teased that they are considering the idea of a Donkey spinoff film with Murphy similar to what they've done with the Puss in Boots films where Antonio Banderas was brought back to reprise the voice role in his solo movies.

"It’s evidence of his strong enthusiasm for a role that he so brilliantly inhabited and really created alongside the artists at DreamWorks. I found that comment to be very exciting," he noted as he affirmed that the idea of Donkey getting his own movie is also "without question."

This is certainly exciting news since a lot of fans have been clamoring for Shrek to have a fifth film for years now. As also shown by the end of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the door is certainly much open for them to explore the world of Far Far Away once again and witness another adventure from Shrek and his friends.

Also Read: Universal Studios Leaves Disney In The Dust With Animation Box Office Success

So far, Shrek 5 is in early development so a release date has not been set yet as of this moment. Stay tuned for more news and updates regarding this project.