Release date confirmed for ‘Shrek 5’ with all-star cast set to return
Universal and DreamWorks Animation have officially confirmed the fifth instalment of the Shrek franchise, revealing that its release date will coincide with the original movie’s 25th anniversary.
Announcing the news on social media, DreamWorks Animation revealed that the fifth movie will arrive on July 1st, 2026, and that its popular all-star cast, including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, will be returning.
Details surrounding a potential fifth instalment have surfaced over the past couple of years, notably earlier this year when Murphy accidentally mentioned filming for the follow-up to 2010’s Shrek Forever After. “We started doing Shrek 4 or 5 months ago,” the actor told Collider.
He also teased a potential spin-off with Shrek’s beloved sidekick, Donkey. “I did this. I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year. We’ll finish it up,” he said. “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].”
However, when discussing the chronology of both movies, Murphy confirmed that the plans for a separate Donkey movie have yet to be discussed. “Not at the same time,” he said, clarifying whether he is reading scripts for two movies. “I started recording Shrek. I think it’s coming out in 2025, and we’re doing a Donkey one next,” he added.
Universal and DreamWorks have yet to share further details about who else might be involved in the fifth movie, leaving many to speculate whether other actors, including Antonia Banderas, will return. It is also unclear which director will be at the project’s helm.
Following Shrek Forever After, the studio released the spin-off movies Puss In Boots and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, both of which received Oscar nominations.
Despite originally kicking off in 2001, the Shrek universe has done well to maintain its unparalleled cultural impact as the ultimate Disney antithesis, meaning there is no doubt the fifth story will more than serve a welcomed resurgence.
The last movie in the franchise, Shrek Forever After, arrived in 2010, and fans have been agonisingly waiting over the last 14 years for another instalment. While the story has been adapted into a successful stage show during this time, the appetite for another film has only continued to grow, and Shrek 5 is almost certain to be a box-office success once it arrives in cinemas in 2026.
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