While attending the Tribeca Film Festival for the premiere of his new 3D animated sequel, Shrek Forever After, comedian Mike Myers let out a few details concerning his long-in-development sequel, Austin Powers 4.
Additionally, the early word is in on the fourth Shrek and it’s, well, what you’d probably expect.
AUSTIN POWERS 4
It’s been almost eight years since Austin Powers in Goldmember grossed over $296 million worldwide in theaters and about three years since Mike Myers announced he was writing the screenplay for a new pic starring the international man of mystery – around the time that Shrek 3 hit theaters, coincidentally.
Well, the newest (and supposedly final) Shrek film is out now and Myers assured MTV News at it’s premiere that Austin Powers 4 is still “chugging along,” a statement in line with recent comments from Austin Powers Trilogy director, Jay Roach.
So what exactly has been the holdup? Well, here’s what Myers had to say:
“Things are on track. It’s hard to keep a Stanley Cup team together and I’m very happy how insanely well it’s gone. Then it gets hard to get everybody all together.”
Assumedly Myers is referring to his co-stars having scheduling issues since the only major projects he’s taken on since he last donned his shaggy Austin Powers wig have been a live-action version of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, the three Shrek sequels and his 2008 Razzie Winner, The Love Guru.
Fans can only hope that – since Austin Powers 4 is looking more like a sure thing – Myers recaptures some of the original Austin Powers‘ clever, raunchy sense of humor in his new spy comedy screenplay. The less it has of the inane, juvenile jokes that plagued his last film, the better.
We’ll keep you posted on any future developments concerning Austin Powers 4 as they come in.
SHREK 4
The critics in attendance at the Tribeca FIlm Festival this week have weighed in on Shrek Forever After and the consensus so far is, well, while it is an improvement over Shrek 3, most critics seem happy to hear that this SHOULD be the last Shrek film.
Numerous comparisons between the Shrek 4 plot and It’s A Wonderful Life have already been made in the early reviews, though most critics seem to find Shrek’s mid-life crisis tedious at best. Add to that the fact that Shrek is apparently once again upstaged by his costars – notably Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and a plump Puss n’ Boots (Antonio Banderas) – and the onslaught of asides, pop cult riffs, and visual gags that have become staples of the Shrek franchise, and the plot sounds all the more tired.
That said, the 3D effect is reportedly put to good use in the film – especially during an elaborate chase sequence that involves Dragon – and, like I mentioned before, most critics seem to think that it is an improvement over the last Shrek film.
For some specific excerpts from the early Shrek 4 reviews, you should check out the article on /Film.
Shrek Forever After hits regular and 3D theaters on May 21, 2010.
