Eddie Murphy Says ‘Shrek 5’ is Under Way

(L to R) Shrek (Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) in ‘Shrek’. Photo: DreamWorks Animation.

Preview:

Eddie Murphy is talking about the future of the ‘Shrek’ movies.
He says he’s already recorded some of his dialogue for a fifth ‘Shrek’ outing.
Murphy also drops mention of a spin-off focused on his Donkey character.

We’ve known for a while that DreamWorks Animation –– never ones to let a franchise opportunity go to waste –– is developing a new installment of the ‘Shrek’ story, and now we have an update from one of the people who makes the movies what they are: actor Eddie Murphy, who provides the voice for fan-favorite character Donkey.

Murphy, who has been on the press tour for the return of one of his other big franchises –– ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ –– talked about what he knows so far.

What did Eddie Murphy say about ‘Shrek 5’?

Bria Murphy as Officer Renee Minnick and Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.'

Here’s what Eddie Murphy told Collider during an interview for ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ Axel F’:

“We started doing ‘Shrek 5’ months ago. I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up. ‘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].”

Keeping the Shrek-verse expanding makes sense, as DreamWorks has seen big success with TV spin-offs and movies about other characters such as Puss In Boots –– whose most recent outing hit big with 2022’s ‘The Last Wish’, which scored $485.2 million globally.

Donkey, of course, is usually one of the more entertaining characters.

Who else is part of ‘Shrek 5’?

(L to R) Shrek (Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) in ‘Shrek’. Photo: DreamWorks Animation.

While Murphy’s comments clearly confirm that he’s aboard, there hasn’t been clarification on the presence of fellow lead voice actors Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz, though you’ve got to assume that DreamWorks has handed out big paydays so that they return.

Michael McCullers, who was a key Myers collaborator on the ‘Austin Powers’ movies, has reportedly been at work on the screenplay for the new ‘Shrek’, working from a story he developed with producer Christopher Meledandri. All the ‘Shrek’ stories, of course, chart new tales based on the character originally featured in William Steig’s book.

We’ll learn more in due course –– surely a teaser will be on the way before too long, or at least some official announcement.

What’s the story of ‘Shrek 5’?

(L to R) Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) in ‘Shrek 2’. Photo: DreamWorks Animation.

There are no plot details for the new Shrek outing yet, though it could potentially see Puss (Antonio Banderas) reuniting with his friends, as hinted at by the end of ‘The Last Wish’.