Shrek Stars in Negotiations for 5th Film in Series
Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz are in discussions to reprise their roles as Shrek, Donkey and Fiona in a new Shrek sequel. A fifth Shrek movie is now officially being developed and will hopefully star the original cast members as the voices of their respective characters. Chris Meledandri, Illumination’s CEO, is hoping to bring back these beloved characters more than a decade after the fourth Shrek film bowed back in 2010.
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Shrek Forever After from 2010 did a lot to remedy the situation for the series after the third movie, Shrek the Third, received a franchise low “B+” CinemaScore grade. The 2010 picture jumped the CinemaScore back up to an “A” but audiences weren’t buying tickets like they were when the first two films (especially the second one) made a fortune. Meledandri is a “believer” that a fifth Shrek movie will rejuvenate the franchise. Antonio Banderas’s Puss in Boots originated in the Shrek films and that character had his own spin-off series which was hugely successful with the last film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish recently scoring a Best Animated Feature Film Oscar nomination. This wild success has led filmmakers to consider doing a spin-off series showcasing the Donkey from the Shrek franchise which was so hilariously played by the great Eddie Murphy. It was Murphy’s idea to do a spin-off film series based on this character and it could actually happen. Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz have been working recently but Diaz took some time off from the profession to pursue other endeavors such as book writing. Myers never quite sustained his success in his live-action movies after the successful Wayne’s World and the hugely popular Austin Powers pictures. A return to the Shrek series would be great for both Myers and Diaz even though Diaz seems to want to retire (yet again) from acting given recent stories which have arisen in the news lately. How could Diaz pass up the opportunity to relish in playing her beloved Fiona, though? The second Shrek movie, Shrek 2, earned a pristine “A” CinemaScore grade and made a whopping $441 million at the domestic box-office. These movies started in 2001 and were made every three years until their success somewhat petered out a bit. After 13 years, though, fans are itching to see the return of these characters. Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona are legendary animated characters who rival some of the best of the Disney classic cartoon characters in terms of popularity. It would certainly be nice to see them back on the big screen played by the original stars and that Donkey character spin-off will have potential audiences lining up, without a doubt. Leave your thoughts on the idea of a Shrek 5 and “Donkey” spin-off movie below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, and Flipboard. This news was brought to our attention by MovieWeb.
