DreamWorks has confirmed that the long-awaited animated sequel Shrek 5 is currently in production.
The new film is set to be released on July 1, 2026.
Franchise stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz are all confirmed to reprise their respective roles as Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona.
Murphy broke the news about the upcoming sequel in June, telling Collider: “We started doing [Shrek 5] months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie. We’re gonna do Donkey as well. So we’re gonna do a Shrek, and we’re doing a Donkey [movie].”
The Donkey standalone movie is yet to be officially confirmed by DreamWorks so no release has so far been announced.
It has also not been confirmed whether Shrek 5 will see the return of Antonio Banderas, who plays Puss in Boots in the much-loved film series.
Shrek 5 will be directed by Walt Dohrn, who has a long history with the franchise. He was a writer and artist on Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third and served as head of story on Shrek Forever After. He also voiced Rumpelstiltskin in the latter film.
In April, a scene from Shrek 2 resurfaced online following the death of OJ Simpson. The former football star famously fled from police five days after the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in a white Ford Bronco. The slow-motion car chase over the LA freeways captured global attention.
The Shrek 2 scene sees Gingerbread Man sitting at home watching TV. “Tonight on Knights, we got a white bronco heading east into the forest,” a news anchor announces as Shrek is seen riding on the back of his companion Donkey (who at the time has been transformed into a white horse).
Back in 2021, The Independent’s Sam Summers marked the 20th anniversary of the original film by hailing Shrek as the “grumpy ogre” who changed cinema.
“Shrek has always occupied a strange position in the cultural conversation,” wrote Summers. “The groundbreaking animation from upstart studio DreamWorks, which turned 20 this week, certainly has its fans – its ubiquitous place at the heart of online meme-dom is testament to that – but it’s also long had its detractors.
“To some, the movie was ground zero for an uninspired wave of snarky animated blockbusters , from DreamWorks’ follow-up Shark Tale to Disney’s own Chicken Little and the inescapable Minions franchise. While there’s truth to that claim, Shrek’s significance goes far beyond that.”