Shrek 5: If It's Still Happening

It's been a while since fans have seen a new Shrek movie and they're getting impatient for Shrek 5. When's the release date? Here's what we know.

After more than a decade since the last installment of the franchise, fans are still looking for Shrek 5 to signal the long-awaited return to Far, Far Away. In 2001, the landscape of animated films changed forever when Shrek premiered. A clever amalgamation of wry adult comedy and bucolic, kid-friendly whimsy, it put a twist on the fairytale format with outrageous trope-smashing characters, a catchy soundtrack, and a wonderful message of self-discovery. It was swiftly followed by Shrek 2 in 2002, Shrek the Third in 2007, and Shrek Forever After in 2010. Shrek 5 was announced all the way back in 2016, but news of its development has been quiet in the years since.

Though still currently in development, the fifth installment in the popular Dreamworks franchise has had a difficult time of it. Fans of Shrek will be excited to know that Shrek 5 is still happening — and despite alterations in direction and storylines, it seems to finally be coming out of the ever-dreaded development hell. The success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has reignited interest in the Shrek franchise with the acclaimed spinoff movie teasing more adventures in the land of Far, Far Away. After such a long wait, Shrek 5 could prove to be the most exciting installment of the franchise that helped put Dreamworks on the map as a powerhouse of CGI animation.

The Latest Shrek 5 News

The latest Shrek 5 news highlights the multiple struggles the long-awaited sequel will face. The first obstacle the movie will have to overcome is the potential for Cameron Diaz not returning for Shrek 5. Diaz has been a key part of the franchise from the beginning as Fiona, the love of Shrek's life, and eventually, the mother of his children. However, Diaz has not appeared on-screen since 2014's Annie, reportedly having retired. Though she will return opposite Jamie Foxx in the upcoming Back to Action, viewers shouldn't count on it as the start of more Cameron Diaz roles, as the experience filming it reportedly already caused her to return to retirement.

One of the big draws of seeing Shrek 5 come together is getting the original cast back together, Cameron Diaz included. So much of the Shrek movies have been about the romance between Shrek and Fiona, so it would be a real blow to not have her as part of the story. While recasting in an animated movie can be less jarring than it is in live-action projects, the absence of Diaz in Shrek 5 would be hard to ignore. Hopefully, if she is done with acting, Diaz would decide to make an exception for a voice-over role that brings her back to perhaps her most beloved character.

Another worrying aspect of Shrek 5 is the box office pressure after Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Released in June 2023, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken marked the worst box office opening for a DreamWorks project to date and ended up grossing just over $40 million at the global box office, making for a massive flop for the studio. Along with making DreamWorks less willing to bet on original animated movies, the flop also suggests they could look to fast-track Shrek 5 as a result. Yet with the franchise never exceeding $750 million at the box office, it is possible DreamWorks is putting too much on the sequel to perform after such a long delay.

Shrek 5 Is Confirmed To Be In Development

Chris Meledandri's confirmation of Shrek 5's development came as part of a wide range of announcements and teases that he gave during his interview with Variety, including information on Sing 3 and Secret Life of Pets 3. One of the more interesting tidbits for Shrek fans is that he seemingly teased that Eddie Murphy's desired Donkey spin-off movie could happen, saying that the character could carry their own movie “Without question.”

Shrek 5 Cast

A big question about the sequel has been whether the Shrek 5 cast will feature the original voice actors who made these characters so popular. Mike Myer's comments on the subject are great news for Shrek 5, and though they don't provide a release date for the new Shrek movie, they at least indicate his enthusiasm for returning to the franchise "every year" if he could. On top of Murphy's and Meledandri's enthusiasm to get the original voice cast back together, this spells good news for longtime Shrek fans.

Since Shrek 2, Antonio Banderas has delighted fans with the character of Puss in Boots, and with the success of his own spin-off series, he believes it's time for the swashbuckling feline to return to the Shrek universe that started it all. "I’ve been with this cat for almost 20 years," he told Deadline. "The first time I did Puss in Boots, I was working on Broadway, so I did my first session there. I’ve done five movies now. There is probably gonna be another, and [Shrek] is probably coming back."

Banderas is one of the latest cast members from the franchise to give fans a potential Shrek 5 update, and given the critical acclaim for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the fan base is still loyal and anxious to see where Shrek 5 goes with its storyline. Unfortunately, the involvement of Cameron Diaz as Fiona is in doubt as the actor reportedly retired from acting, though she may be persuaded to return to this iconic role for the Shrek 5 cast.

Shrek 5 Story Details

The writer of such acclaimed comedies as Boss Baby and other Dreamworks productions has had a Shrek 5 story and script ready for the last several years. Though Michael McCullers has mentioned the franchise a few times in interviews for his other popular franchises, he's stated very little about the actual plot. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that the script remains personal and means a lot to him. Acknowledging that at this point, the script is more than a few years old, it will most likely need to go through revisions, especially since so many members of the creative team have probably had to change

Though he might be one of Dreamworks' best characters, Shrek was an angry misanthrope who preferred to live in his swamp and eschew social interaction until a talking donkey persuaded him to go on a quest to save a princess. Then he became one of the 2000s best antiheroes, and after he married Fiona, and they created their own family, it seemed like even ogres could have a happily ever after. So what could break the peaceful tranquility of their bucolic lifestyle in a new Shrek movie? Teenagers. According to DevDiscourse, Shrek 5 could focus on Shrek and Fiona's hectic life raising a bunch of teenagers. If they're even half as stubborn as their parents, their antics will no doubt make for highly entertaining cinema. That, however, is just one story possibility for Shrek 5.

Shrek 5 Could Reboot The Franchise

Despite four prior films, Shrek 5 is rumored to not be picking up where Shrek Forever After left off. Instead, it could be its own stand-alone adventure that will tangentially be connected to the series. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writer Michael McCullers explained that "it's got a pretty big reinvention behind it" that he can't reveal, but seems like it could tread into reboot territory. It would be difficult to imagine a reboot of the film, especially if a new cast was assembled to portray the beloved characters. If it's a stand-alone film that only features the characters in cameos and instead tells a different story in the Kingdom of Duloc, that might be more acceptable to longtime fans.