Shrek 5 in the works after 13-year gap with original cast returning, claims studio executive

A fifth Shrek film is reportedly in the works, 13 years after the release of its last entry, Shrek Forever After.

That’s according to Chris Meledandri, the founder of Illumination, who is working alongside DreamWorks to revive the hit franchise.

According to Meledandri, the original cast – including Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy – are all “anticipated” to return for Shrek 5.

In an interview with Variety, he explained that no deals are currently in place, adding: “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.”

The news comes after the success of last year’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a spin-off film focussing on Antonio Banderas’s character from Shrek 2.

Meledandri also suggested that Murphy’s character – Donkey, the wise-cracking sidekick of Myers’ eponymous ogre – could receive his own spin-off.

Murphy recently threw his support behind the idea of a Donkey film, comparing Donkey’s appeal to that of Puss in Boots.

“They did Puss in Boots movies, they should have [done] a Donkey movie. Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots,” he told Canadian news site Etalk.

“I mean I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t as funny as Donkey!”

Reacting to the comments, Meledandri said there was “no question” that a Donkey standalone film would be a success, adding that Murphy’s remark was “very exciting”.

“It’s evidence of his strong enthusiasm for a role that he so brilliantly inhabited and really created alongside the artists at DreamWorks,” he said.