DreamWorks is finally making Shrek 5, and the movie fulfills a 20-year plan for the animated franchise after an attempted retcon. The Shrek franchise began in 2001 with the original animated movie that introduced audiences to Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey. The series reached its assumed conclusion in 2010 with the release of Shrek Forever After, the fourth installment of the main franchise. While DreamWorks found ways to expand the franchise with the Puss in Boots films, the desire for Shrek 5 has not died down. Good news came in 2023 when Shrek 5 was confirmed to be in development.
The announcement of Shrek 5 has not been followed with many updates about where the film stands. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are all expected to return as the voices of Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona, but where the story goes after Puss in Boots: The Last Wish‘s ending is still a mystery. The fact that DreamWorks is making Shrek 5 is still exciting considering there was a long stretch when it seemed as though another installment in the main franchise would not happen. Now that it is, DreamWorks is delivering on the original plans for the Shrek franchise.
Shrek 5: If It’s Still Happening, Cast & Everything We Know
It’s been a while since fans have seen a new Shrek movie and they’re getting impatient for Shrek 5. When’s the release date? Here’s what we know.
DreamWorks Had Plans For Shrek 5 All The Way Back In 2004
The idea of making a fifth Shrek movie is not something that DreamWorks only recently considered or started to think about after Shrek Forever After. The studio has had plans to make Shrek 5 dating back to 2004. This is when DreamWorks confirmed plans for third and fourth entries in the franchise days before Shrek 2 was released in theaters. It was through the discussion of the vision for the next two sequels at Cannes (via IGN) that DreamWorks executive Jeffrey Katzenberg first mentioned their intention to make Shrek 5.
The initial idea was for Shrek 5 to be the final installment of the franchise. Katzenberg said, “Shrek 3 and 4 are going to reveal other unanswered questions and, finally, in the last chapter, we will understand how Shrek came to be in that swamp, when we meet him in the first movie.” The “last chapter” that Katzenberg is referring to is Shrek 5. It was from this point on that audiences expected to see at least five Shrek movies be made. Little did everyone know that it would take nearly 20 years for the sequel to truly manifest.
Shrek Forever After Was Changed To Be The Final Shrek Movie
One of the key reasons for the late arrival of Shrek 5 is due to how Shrek Forever After changed during development. Based on Katzenberg’s original comments, the fourth film was meant to directly set up the concluding chapter that the fifth entry would be. Screenwriter Josh Klausner reaffirmed this plan during a 2010 interview with Storylink before Shrek Forever After‘s release. He said, “When I first came onto the project, it wasn’t supposed to be the final chapter – there were originally going to be 5 Shrek movies.” However, DreamWorks changed the plan during the sequel’s development.
How To Watch Shrek Franchise In Order
Wondering how to watch the Shrek franchise in order? Here are the best ways to stream all the spinoffs, movies, and TV specials in the Shrek universe.
According to Klausner, Shrek Forever After was retconned to become the final Shrek movie about one year into development. He said that Jeffrey Katzenberg determined “the story that we’d come up with was the right way for Shrek’s journey to end” and decided that there was no longer a need for Shrek 5. Klausner admitted it was “incredibly flattering” that Katzenberg viewed Shrek Forever After‘s story in that light. But, Katzenberg then walked back that stance a few years after Shrek Forever After‘s release, reopening the doors to the possibility of Shrek 5 happening after the retcon.
Shrek 5 Can Give The Franchise A Better Sendoff Than Forever After
It is not too surprising that DreamWorks ultimately decided that Shrek Forever After was not the sendoff that the franchise or Shrek as a character deserved. Shrek Forever After attempted to bring Shrek’s story full circle and revisit events from the first movie, but the alternate universe story did not fully land with audiences. The movie had near franchise record low Rotten Tomatoes scores and finished with the lowest box office haul of any Shrek movie to that point. It quickly became clear that Shrek Forever After could not be the last time audiences see Shrek.
Movie | Rotten Tomatoes Scores | Box Office |
|---|---|---|
Shrek | 88% Critics, 90% Audience | $484.5 Million |
Shrek 2 | 89% Critics, 69% Audience | $928.9 Million |
Shrek the Third | 42 % Critics, 52% Audience | $813.3 Million |
Shrek Forever After | 57% Critics, 54% Audience | $752.6 Million |
Now that DreamWorks has opted to make Shrek 5, the movie can fix the issues with Shrek Forever After and give the franchise a proper conclusion. The fifth film can be made with the idea of being the final chapter in mind, instead of taking Shrek Forever After‘s approach where DreamWorks altered the plan. This should help Shrek 5 work as the final movie in the franchise from start to finish. In doing so, it will hopefully be a much more successful and well-received entry – even if that likely will create temptations to make a sixth installment next.
Sources: IGN, Storylink
