Welcome back stinkers! It is a great time to be a Dreamworks fan! Dreamworks just the other day took to social media and posted an official Shrek 5 Announcement. I don’t know why, but I am hyped! I’ll be reporting on some official news, along with speculating on what we could get. 2026 is looking to be a big year! Shrek is back!
Official Shrek 5 Announcement
Dreamworks has taken to social media and have finally put out a Shrek 5 Announcement! Just about a week ago, for the release of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Eddie Murphy has participated in some press junket interviews. It was in one of these interviews that he revealed that he only hasn’t started recording for Shrek 5, but there’s plans for a Donkey movie! I don’t think that Dreamworks was particularly fond of his choice. That’s why I think not so long after, they made it official. In the video they released, they showed off the new Shrek 5 logo, with All-Star in the background. Just from that, it started to bring up some nostalgia.
It doesn’t end there. With that we got the official release date, along with some returning cast members. The official release date is July 1, 2026. 2026 is looking to be a killer year, especially on the animated side of things. Dreamworks then goes on to say that Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), and Cameron Diaz (Fiona) is set to return. As for the cooks in the kitchen, we have the writer of the second and third film, Walt Dohrn, directing the feature film. Then enters Minions: The Rise of Gru co-director, Brad Ableson, will co-direct Shrek 5. As for the producers, you have Shrek Forever After producer Gina Shay, and Illumination CEO, Chris Meledandri.
The Returning Cast
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As I mentioned, the big three are returning, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz. I mean this really shouldn’t be a surprise. Of course, I am excited to see these guys returning. What I wanted to talk about is, who else is returning. At the end of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, we were teased with the land of Far Far Away, as Puss, Kitty, and Perrito set sale to visit some old friends. I think that this is going to tie into the plot of what Shrek 5 could be. If those three were to return for Shrek 5, we would most likely see Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Salma Hayek (Kitty Softpaws), and Harvey Guillén (Perrito). I don’t think that it’ll end there. I think that the classic Shrek characters like, Gingy, Pinnochio, the Three Little Pigs, and others might have a smaller role.
Now what has been great about the Shrek franchise is the parody. They’re able to take classic fairy tales and put them on their heads. My hope for Shrek 5 is that it does the same. The last Shrek title, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, featured the fairy tale turned villain, Jack Horner. If they continue introducing fairy tale characters like that, and putting a twist on them, I think Shrek 5 will be pretty good.
What Could be the Story of Shrek 5?
Now to get into the more speculative things, what could be the story the entry follows? As I mentioned, at the end of The Last Wish, Puss in his gang were making their way to Far Far Away to visit some old friends. I think that we’re going to follow back up with them at the beginning of Shrek 5, and that will lead into the plot of the rest of the film. That plot could be actually pretty simple, while being big scope. I hope they don’t make the nostalgia the movie’s number one priority, but I think Dreamworks is going to use that nostalgia factor to its advantage. So, that’s why I think that some of the original Shrek characters is going to come back for this. The best-case scenario would have to be, they insert nostalgia into the mix, and they make it a great story.
If they take a similar approach to Shrek 5 as they did The Last Wish. The Last Wish had a straightforward premise, while at the same time being a more complex story for the older audience. That’s really the perfect formula for an animated movie. You have a simple and straightforward premise for the younger audience, while at the same time it could be understood in a more complex way by the older audience. That’s definitely the direction Shrek 5 should go in.
Donkey and the Future of Shrek
As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, Eddie Murphy has recently stated that there’s plans for a Donkey solo movie. Now, I don’t think that it’s official yet. I think that Donkey movie is really still in talks behind the scenes. Now what are my thoughts on this? After the recent Puss in Boots movie, I think that Donkey has a shot at being a good title. My one worry is that Donkey isn’t exactly a character you can put front and center. He’s better as a side character, where he gets to bounce off the character of Shrek. Shrek and Donkey’s chemistry is one of my favorite parts from those films. So, if Shrek 5 were to lead into a Donkey spin off, that would be a step in expanding the Shrek universe. I don’t think Shrek can be the main focus forever, so I think the spin-off route would be a step in the right direction. I mean who knows? Shrek could really be an ageless character.
The Year of 2026
Before I go, I wanted to bring up one more topic. As I mentioned, Shrek 5 is coming out summer of 2026, and it’s looking to be a killer year. We already have live action movies like Avengers 5, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and supposedly Dune: Messiah. Don’t go sleeping on animation though, because 2026 is a stacked year. You have a new Super Mario movie, a TMNT Mutant Mayhem sequel, Toy Story 5, Shrek 5, and more. One of the biggest box office years in history was 2019. It had billion-dollar film after billion-dollar film. I think if Hollywood can play its cards right, 2026 could be a bigger year.
Wrap Up
That is going to be it for today’s movie news post! I am sorry that there has been a lack of posts for a while. I’m still trying to update some things behind the scenes. You might’ve noticed the home page has a different format. I’m trying to branch The Big Stinker to social media and video content. I want to try to make The Big Stinker a brand. Stay tuned for my Despicable Me 4 review, along with my breakdown of the Agatha All Along teaser trailer.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to catch up on some movie news! Make sure you check out The Big Stinker Blog for more coverage on movies, TV, gaming, and things like reviews and breakdowns. So, until next time stinkers! Bye bye.