Shrek 5 Release Date Announced: Myers, Murphy, and Diaz Return

DreamWorks has officially announced that the much-anticipated animated sequel, Shrek 5, is currently in production.

The new film is slated for release on July 1, 2026.

Fans will be thrilled to know that franchise stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are all set to return, reprising their iconic roles as Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona, respectively.

In June, Eddie Murphy shared the exciting news about the upcoming sequel with Collider: “We started doing [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. 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].”

While a standalone Donkey movie is yet to be officially confirmed by DreamWorks, fans are eager for more details.

It remains unclear whether Antonio Banderas, who voices Puss in Boots, will return in Shrek 5, leaving fans waiting in anticipation.

Shrek 5 will be helmed by Walt Dohrn, who has significant history with the franchise. Dohrn contributed as a writer and artist for Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, and served as head of story for Shrek Forever After. He also lent his voice to the character Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek Forever After.

In April, a scene from Shrek 2 resurfaced online following the death of OJ Simpson. The former football star famously led police on a slow-motion car chase in a white Ford Bronco after the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. This chase was broadcast globally and captured immense attention.

The Shrek 2 scene features the Gingerbread Man watching TV at home. “Tonight on Knights, we got a white bronco heading east into the forest,” announces a news anchor, as Shrek is seen riding on the back of his companion Donkey—who at that moment has been transformed into a white horse.

Back in 2021, The Independent‘s Sam Summers celebrated the 20th anniversary of the original Shrek film, calling the character “the grumpy ogre” who changed cinema.

“Shrek has always occupied a strange position in the cultural conversation,” wrote Summers. “The groundbreaking animation from upstart studio DreamWorks, which turned 20 this week, certainly has its fans—its ubiquitous place at the heart of online meme-dom is testament to that—but it’s also long had its detractors. To some, the movie was ground zero for an uninspired wave of snarky animated blockbusters, from DreamWorks’ follow-up Shark Tale to Disney’s own Chicken Little and the inescapable Minions franchise. While there’s truth to that claim, Shrek‘s significance goes far beyond that.”