A fifth Shrek film is in the works, with stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz set to return, DreamWorks Animation announced Tuesday via its social media channels.
“Not too Far, Far Away…” wrote a spokesperson for the studio on X. “@Shrek 5 is coming to theaters on July 1, 2026 with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz.”
Walt Dohrn (Trolls franchise), who worked on the second and third films as a writer and artist and as Head of Story on the fourth film, will direct Shrek 5. The Trolls franchise’s Gina Shay is returning to produce alongside Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri (The Super Mario Bros. Movie), with Brad Ableson (Minions: The Rise of Gru) co-directing.
Murphy hinted that the project was in motion in a video interview with Collider just last month. “We started doing Shrek four or five months ago,” he said. “I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year. We’ll finish it up.” In that interview, Murphy let slip that his character Donkey, the trusty sidekick of Myers’ ogre Shrek, also will be getting his own spinoff movie.
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One of DreamWorks’ most celebrate animated franchises, Shrek is based on the 1990 picture book from writer and cartoonist William Steig. The franchise kicked off with the 2001 film that introduced viewers to Shrek, an ogre embarking on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Diaz).
Winning the first Oscar for Best Animated Feature and grossing more than $488 million worldwide, the original film’s success paved the way to sequels Shrek 2 (2004), where Shrek meets Fiona’s parents, and Shrek the Third (2007), which follows Shrek’s journey to find the next heir to the throne. The fourth installment, Shrek Forever After (2010), explores Shrek’s midlife crisis and his wish to erase his past. The franchise also includes the spi-off Puss in Boots (2011), starring Antonio Banderas as the swashbuckling feline, and its sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which was Oscar-nominated and grossed $481M globally upon its December 2022 debut.
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The first four Shrek films have earned more than $2.9 billion worldwide, spawning a global live-touring show, a Broadway musical that earned eight Tony nominations and 12 Drama Desk nominations, plus an immersive tourist destination in London and popular events and attractions across Universal Destinations & Experiences’ theme parks.