Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, & Eddie Murphy Are Heading Back To The Swamp In Shrek 5
(And, at last, we’re getting a Donkey movie!)
It’s been almost 15 years since we last heard from Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Donkey, but DreamWorks Animation has announced that we’ll be returning to the land of happily ever after on July 1, 2026. Better still, the original cast we know and love, including Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy, will all be reprising their roles. All our nostalgic wishes are coming true; time to dust off those Smashmouth CDs...
Murphy, who has been vocally enthusiastic about appearing in another Shrek movie, was the first to let the cat out of the bag on this exciting development. In a June interview with Collider, he talked about recording the first act of the new film “months ago.”
“...and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie,” he confirmed.
Well if that doesn’t call for a celebratory parfait we don’t know what does.
The Shrek franchise launched in 2001 (we’ll give you a minute to do the math and sob), with the first installment winning the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Since then, it has spawned three sequels (Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After) as well as spin-offs focused on Antonio Banderas’ beloved character Puss in Boots. All told, the films have grossed a staggering $2.9 billion globally.
Fan reactions on social media have been ecstatic, bursting with a heady mix of nostalgia and genuine child-like whimsy.
“It's always darkest (2024 elections) before the dawn (Shrek 5 in 2026),” joked X user @hipstermermaid.
And it seems to be a sentiment shared with the cast and crew of Shrek as well.
Myers, who has voiced the titular character through the franchise’s run, waxed poetic about his attachment to Shrek with GQ in 2022.
“There's an emotional center there," Myers said. "The concept of going from a self-loathing ogre to a self-accepting ogre was meaningful to me. I love playing Shrek. If I had to do one 'Shrek' a year, I'd be thrilled."
“I love this movie,” Diaz agreed in an interview with WFAA. “I love Shrek. I love it. I love it because of the message it sends ... it’s about acceptance and not to judge people for what they look like. To get to know people and to accept yourself for who you are, don’t judge yourself. And if you love yourself then love comes to you.”
While there’s no word yet on the plot of this latest installment or about which familiar characters might be returning (is Puss too good for the swamp now that he’s enjoyed his own successful series of films?), we look forward to seeing whatever these characters have in store for us.
