‘Shrek’ Universe Set to Expand Confirms Eddie Murphy, Upcoming Spinoff Will Focus on a Fan-Favorite Character

After years of being the hilarious sidekick, Donkey is finally getting his own movie. Eddie Murphy, who has voiced the character since the beginning, confirmed the news in an interview with Liam Crowley from ScreenRant while promoting his latest film, The Pickup.

Murphy shared that work on Shrek 5 is still happening, with the voice cast still recording their lines. He also revealed that production on the Donkey movie will begin this September.

“No, they’re still doing voiceover stuff. We’re still in the booth, and literally, we’re still doing Shrek. We start in September on Donkey, we’re doing a Donkey one, and that’ll be three years from now, but we’re about two years into Shrek 5. Still in the booth and about to start Donkey in September.”

When asked whether the Donkey story would be a series or a movie, Murphy made it clear that it’s a full-length film.

“No, Donkey’s going to be like how Puss in Boots had his own movie, Donkey’s going to have his own movie, own little story with his dragon wife and his kids that are half-dragon and half-donkeys. They’ve written this funny story. We’re doing that, starting that in September.”

The idea of a Donkey spin-off has been floating around since Shrek 5 was announced back in April 2023. At the time, early talks about giving Donkey his own movie had started. Then in June 2024, Murphy confirmed that DreamWorks had officially greenlit the project and that it would move forward once Shrek 5 wrapped up.

Shrek 5 is already making headlines on its own. The first trailer dropped in February 2025 and revealed a big time jump in the story. Shrek’s daughter, now a teenager, will be voiced by Zendaya. Mike Myers returns as Shrek, with Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and of course, Eddie Murphy as Donkey.

For over two decades, the Shrek movies have delivered their own fun and twisted take on fairy tales. Donkey has always been one of the biggest sources of laughs, but unlike Puss in Boots, he never got his own spotlight, until now. With a story that includes his dragon wife and half-donkey, half-dragon kids, fans can expect something totally unique and just as wild.

The Shrek world is expanding once again, and Donkey’s finally getting the attention he deserves.

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