In April 2001, Shrek first graced the cinema screens with a strangely likeable green ogre at the forefront of an action-packed animated fairy-tale adventure. Since its initial 2001 release, Shrek has unraveled three additional full-length motion pictures: Shrek 2 (May 2004), Shrek the Third (May 2007) and Shrek Forever After (May 2010). The franchise also includes a spin-off, Puss in Boots, released in October of 2011 and multiple short films. Now, almost 20 years later, fans wonder if and when Shrek’s incomparable story line of finding love, raising kids and making new friends along the way will continue.
Three years after the first Shrek movie aired, in 2004, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the film’s producer, stated the storyline would eventually pan out in five separate films. At the time, Katzenberg had estimated Shrek 5 to be released in 2014. When 2014 came and passed, gossip about the next Shrek film’s potential release dates ranged from 2019 to 2020. With 2020 nearing an end in just four months, fans patiently wait for the fifth and possibly final Shrek film to conclude the series.
Is Shrek 5 confirmed?
Shrek 5 would make a great movie, and who wouldn’t want to see our favorite green ogre return to screens? The talk of the town is that there will be a fifth Shrek film, despite producer Katzenberg’s unmet 2014 deadline. Just looking at the previous release dates of each Shrek movie, one can guess Shrek 5 could be released during the springtime. It’s hard to tell if that rings true, though.
What we can’t confirm, however, is the makeup of the new cast. Will Mike Meyers come back to voice Shrek? It’s safe to assume he will, alongside his buddy, Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy has even hinted at a Shrek 5 in various public appearances, including his 2016 red carpet appearance at the Hollywood Film Awards. “Oh no, we’re doing another Shrek,” he confirmed after a reporter asked him if he would be returning as Donkey.
One character, though, might not return. Cameron Diaz, the beautiful voice behind Fiona, the human-princess-turned-ogre-princess in the Shrek movies, has since retired from acting. BBC News has reported that Diaz “found peace” since putting a halt to her acting career and has been able to focus on her family and other projects. The last film she appeared in was in 2014 in Annie, and there is no confirmation on whether or not she will be the voice behind Fiona for Shrek 5.
Shrek 5 Plot: Is it a Reboot?
The possibility of Shrek 5 dares to ask the question: do we really need another movie about an ogre? As far as the plot and story line of the fifth movie in the series, there is little information or hints available, so we can only imagine the specifics of what Shrek has in store for us next.
Katzenberg has mentioned that the fifth film would unveil how Shrek got in his swamp, so we can expect that at the least. But the other character’s roles in Shrek’s journey to the swamp? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Shrek 5: What is the release date?
Shrek 5’s release date has yet to be formally announced. If you poke around online, there are some rumors that suggest Shrek 5 could be released in September of 2022, just about two years from now. No official date for the release of the fifth Shrek movie has been confirmed yet, though. And, this guesstimate could change, especially with the coronavirus impacting a lot of film and TV production. We can almost rest assured though, that Shrek will come crawling to our screens at some point. We just don’t know when.