''Shrek 5'' is an upcoming American animated

fantasy comedy Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre ro ...

film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''

Shrek! ''Shrek!'' is a fantasy comedy picture book published in 1990. Written and illustrated by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, it is about a repugnant, green ogre who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princ ...

'' by

William Steig William Steig ( ; November 14, 1907 – October 3, 2003) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books, best known for the picture book ''Shrek!'', which inspired the Shrek (franchise), film series of the same name, as we ...

, produced by

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...

and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

. The sequel to ''

Shrek Forever After ''Shrek Forever After'' is a 2010 American animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Mike Mitchell (in his animated directorial debut) and written by Josh Klausner and ...

'' (2010), it serves as the fifth main installment and the seventh overall installment in the ''Shrek'' film series. The film is directed by

Walt Dohrn Walter Dohrn (born December 5, 1970) is an American writer, director, animator, musician, and actor. He performed the voice of Rumpelstiltskin in ''Shrek Forever After'' (2010), as well as various characters in ''Shrek the Third'' (2007). He co-d ...

and

Conrad Vernon Conrad Vernon (born July 11, 1968) is an American director, producer, writer, storyboard artist and voice actor, best known for his work on the DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks animated film series ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' as well as other fil ...

and co-directed by Brad Ableson from a screenplay written by

Michael McCullers Michael McCullers (born 1971) is an American writer and director. Early life A native of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, McCullers attended Indian Springs School which is a private high school in Indian Springs Village, Alabama. He was awarded a Nat ...

, and produced by Illumination CEO

Chris Meledandri Christopher Meledandri (; born May 15, 1959) is an American film producer and founder and CEO of Illumination. He previously served as president of 20th Century Fox Animation, and has worked as the producer for the film series of ''Ice Age'', ...

and Gina Shay.

Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

, and

Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...

will reprise their respective voice roles as the title character,

Donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

, and

Princess Fiona Princess Fiona is a fictional character in DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks' ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' franchise. One of the film series' List of Shrek (franchise) characters#Main, main characters, Fiona first appears in ''Shrek'' (2001) as a ...

from the previous films, with

Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...

joining the cast. A fifth ''Shrek'' film was initially planned after the release of ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Sti ...

'' (2004) with a 2013 release date in mind. However, when former DreamWorks CEO

Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg ( ; born December 21, 1950) is an American media proprietor and film producer. He served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, a position in which he oversaw production and busin ...

decided to end the franchise in its fourth film, plans for a fifth installment were abandoned and ''Shrek Forever After'' was released as the last ''Shrek'' film. In 2014, development continued and Universal Pictures officially confirmed production of a fifth ''Shrek'' film when its parent company,

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

, bought DreamWorks Animation in 2016 with updates following from March 2017 to February 2025. ''Shrek 5'' is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States and Canada on December 23, 2026.

Voice cast

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...

as Felicia

Production

Background

After the success of ''

'' in May 2004,

(DWA) CEO

planned a five-film arc that began with ''

'' (2001) and would conclude with a fifth installment. After the release of ''

Shrek the Third ''Shrek the Third'' (also known as ''Shrek 3'') is a 2007 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Chris Miller and co-directed by Raman Hui from a sc ...

'' in 2007, Katzenberg announced that the fifth film would be released in 2013. In May 2009, DreamWorks announced that the fourth film's title would be ''

'', indicating that it would be the last in the ''Shrek'' series. Later in 2009, that was confirmed by

Bill Damaschke William Damaschke (born November 20, 1963) is an American film executive and producer who currently serves as the president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Previously, he had spent 20 years at DreamWorks Animation, most recently as Chief Cr ...

, the former head of creative production at DWA, with him saying: "All that was loved about Shrek in the first film is brought to the final film".

Josh Klausner Josh Klausner is an American screenwriter who wrote '' Date Night'' (2010) and '' Shrek Forever After'' (2010). Biography Early life Josh Klausner graduated from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. After college, he won a Sundance Stu ...

, one of the writers of ''Shrek Forever After'', explained in 2010 the script's evolution: "When I first came onto the project, it wasn't supposed to be the final chapter — there were originally going to be five ''Shrek'' movies. Then, about a year into the development, Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the story that we'd come up with was the right way for Shrek's journey to end, which was incredibly flattering". In February 2014, during an interview with

Fox Business Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American conservative business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios ...

, Katzenberg hinted that a fifth film may still be made: "We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest", he said of the characters. "But I think you can be confident that we'll have another chapter in the ''Shrek'' series. We're not finished, and more importantly, neither is he".

Development

In June 2016, after

purchased DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke discussed plans to revive the ''Shrek'' franchise, as well as other DreamWorks films. In July 2016, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' cited sources saying that the fifth film was planned for a 2019 release. In September 2016,

confirmed that the film was expected to be released in 2019 or 2020, and that the script had been completed. The original story for the film was written by

, based on his own idea. When asked about the script for a fifth ''Shrek'' film in March 2017, McCullers said it featured "a pretty big reinvention" for the film series. In November 2018, it was reported by ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' that Illumination CEO

had been tasked to be one of the executive producers of both the untitled ''Shrek'' film and the spin-off film '' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'', with the original cast potentially returning. In December 2022,

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

reiterated that a new ''Shrek'' film was still in development. The film was teased in the

mid-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually i ...

of ''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' with Puss returning to Far, Far Away. In April 2023, Meledandri confirmed a fifth ''Shrek'' film was in development, with the original cast—Murphy,

, and

—in negotiations to reprise their roles. Meledandri said the filmmakers would "look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved" and try to "honor those elements" in a similar vein to Illumination's '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''. In June 2024, while promoting his film '' Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F'', Murphy confirmed that he had started recording his lines for the film a couple of months earlier, expecting it to be released sometime in 2025. In July 2024, DreamWorks confirmed that Myers, Murphy, and Diaz would reprise their roles in the film, tentatively titled ''Shrek 5''.

, who previously served as a story artist on ''

'' and ''

'', as well as the head of story and voice of Rumpelstiltskin in ''

'', was also attached to direct, with Illumination's '' Minions: The Rise of Gru'' co-director Brad Ableson co-directing and Gina Shay co-producing with Meledandri. In January 2025, it was announced that

, who previously co-directed ''Shrek 2'' and voiced

Gingerbread Man A gingerbread man is a biscuit or cookie made from gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human being. However, other shapes, especially seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc.), and characters are also common. History Gin ...

in the previous films, also returned to direct the film alongside Dohrn. In late February 2025, it was revealed that

had joined the cast, as Shrek and Fiona's daughter Felicia.

Marketing

The first-look cast announcement trailer was released on February 27, 2025, which introduced a new visual style and updated character appearances, sparking debate. Viewers drew parallels to the backlash against Sonic the Hedgehog's 2019 redesign, with some criticizing the new look for losing Shrek's original appeal and art style, while others were more positive partially due to the technological advancements since the last main installment.

Release

''Shrek 5'' is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 23, 2026. The film was previously set for release on July 1, 2026, but in January 2025, it was delayed to its current release date with Illumination's '' Minions 3'' taking over the original release date. It is set to be released 16 years after the release of ''Forever After'' and 25 years after the original ''

'' film. As part of Universal's long-term deal with

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, the film will stream on

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four.

References

External links

* {{Subject bar, portal1=Cartoon, portal2=Animation, portal3=Film, portal4=United States, portal5=2020s, portal6=Speculative fiction, portal7=Fantasy, portal8=Comedy 2020s adventure comedy films 2020s buddy comedy films 2020s children's adventure films 2020s children's animated films 2020s children's comedy films 2020s children's fantasy films 2020s English-language films 2020s fantasy comedy films 2026 American animated films 2026 comedy films 2026 computer-animated films 3D animated films Advertising and marketing controversies in film American 3D films American adventure comedy films American buddy comedy films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated fantasy films American computer-animated films American fantasy comedy films American sequel films Animated buddy films Animated films about donkeys Animated films about talking animals Animated films set in the Middle Ages DreamWorks Animation films English-language adventure comedy films English-language buddy comedy films English-language fantasy comedy films Fairy tale parody films Films directed by Conrad Vernon Films directed by Walt Dohrn Films produced by Chris Meledandri Films with screenplays by Michael McCullers Shrek (franchise) films Universal Pictures animated films Upcoming English-language films Upcoming IMAX films Upcoming sequel films