The Shrek Swamp Has No End: DreamWorks Is Expanding the Franchise Well Beyond ‘Shrek 5’
Few animated franchises have maintained a grip on popular culture quite like the one starring a flatulent green ogre from a muddy swamp. Since its premiere at Cannes in 2001, the ‘Shrek‘ series has grown into one of the most financially dominant properties in animation history, and DreamWorks has made it clear that the Far, Far Away universe is nowhere near done expanding.
The four mainline ‘Shrek’ films have collectively earned over $2.9 billion at the global box office, and that figure does not account for a Broadway musical, live touring shows, or the enduring meme-culture status that has kept Shrek relevant across generations of internet users. That kind of cultural footprint makes the franchise impossible to retire, and Universal Pictures has been signaling loudly that it knows exactly what it has on its hands.
The immediate focus is that another chapter of the ‘Shrek’ universe is officially in the works, keeping the franchise pipeline flowing well into the future. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are already confirmed to return to their iconic roles for ‘Shrek 5’, while Zendaya joins the cast in what is shaping up to be the most anticipated animated sequel in years. The fifth film is now scheduled for June 30, 2027, representing its second release date delay after first being targeted for the summer of 2026.
Beyond ‘Shrek 5’, the franchise is already branching further. Eddie Murphy confirmed in a new interview that the Donkey spinoff movie is in active development, with voice recording set to begin in September, and a release approximately three years away. Murphy described the project as following a similar model to the ‘Puss in Boots’ solo films, centering on Donkey’s own story alongside his dragon wife and their half-dragon, half-donkey children. It is the kind of expansion that suggests DreamWorks is treating this universe the way Marvel treats its own, with individual character stories feeding into a larger world.
The studio has already proven the spinoff model works within this franchise, with the two ‘Puss in Boots’ films earning more than a billion dollars collectively, and the warmly received ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ reminded audiences that this corner of animation can genuinely deliver on craft, not just nostalgia. The Donkey film enters development on the back of that goodwill.
Producing the ‘Shrek 5’ revival are franchise veteran Gina Shay and Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, with Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon, both deep franchise insiders, co-directing. The involvement of Meledandri is particularly telling, as he is the executive who turned ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Minions’ into multi-decade franchise machines. His presence suggests Universal is playing an extremely long game with this property.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the original film, Universal also brought ‘Shrek’ back to cinemas in May 2026 in both standard and 4DX screenings, a move that doubled as a cultural warm-up act for everything the studio has planned ahead. With a universe this active, the swamp is clearly getting bigger. Whether you think the franchise deserves a sixth entry or wish it had stayed wrapped up after ‘Shrek Forever After’, drop your take in the comments because this one is clearly not going away quietly.
