Cinema is saved: Eddie Murphy confirms Shrek 5 and a Donkey spin-off movie are in the works

Shrek (2001) — (Image credit: DreamWorks Pictures)

Somebody once told me... that Shrek 5 and a Donkey spin-off movie are official on the way. Eddie Murphy confirmed the news a little over a year after Illumination CEO Chris Meledrandri said talks and negotiations had begun.

"We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we'll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up," Murphy told Collider. "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]."

Shrek 5 has been rumored for years and fans (like myself) had all but given up hope despite Illumination claiming that the gears were indeed in motion. If Murphy is back as Donkey, this means it's more than likely that Mike Myers will be back as Shrek, Cameron Diaz will return as Fiona, and, given his own successful spin-off movie, it's highly likely that Antonio Banderas will be back as Puss in Boots. I'm also hopeful that this means Conrad Vernon will be back to voice the Gingerbread Man.

Added Murphy: "No, not at the same time. I started recording Shrek, I think it's coming out in 2025, and we're doing a Donkey one next."

The first Shrek hit theaters in 2001 and won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film's success spawned three sequels, a Broadway musical, two spin-off films, a theme park ride, and a permanent place in the hearts of millennials across the globe.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.