Puss In Boots 2 was met with critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination, making its 12-year delay worth it. Fans first fell in love with the Spanish-speaking cat in Shrek 2 when he was hired to capture the titular ogre, but instead befriends him and his sidekick, Donkey. Due to his popularity, Puss appeared in the rest of the Shrek franchise and got his own spinoff film in 2011. Puss In Boots tells the orange cat's origin story, following him on an adventure with his friends Kitty and Humpty Dumpty to capture a goose that lays golden eggs. The film was a success, and its sequel was announced three years later.
The sequel, titled Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, brings Puss back to the big screen as he fights to stay alive after losing eight of his nine lives. Puss reunites with Kitty, who he is on bad terms with after their relationship ended on their wedding day. Throughout the film, he goes on a mission to find the Wishing Star so he can wish for his eight lives back. Instead, he overcomes his own selfishness and faces death. Luckily, he's let off the hook for overcoming his arrogance. The film would have made it to the big screen earlier if it weren't for many mishaps.
Puss In Boots 2 Was Stuck In Development Hell
DreamWorks began working on the Puss In Boots sequel only a year after the initial film was released, and executive producer Guillermo Del Toro revealed there were already a few drafts of the screenplay. By 2014, DreamWorks announced the film was called Puss In Boots: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves. Unfortunately, the project got stuck in development hell. The phrase refers to a project getting stuck in the early development stages because of legal, technical, or artistic challenges. DreamWorks then went through some restructures which further delayed the film.
In 2015, the company was struggling financially and laid off hundreds of workers and sold its headquarters in Glendale, California. Luckily, things picked up for the film again in 2018, with Christopher Meledandri on board, and Bob Persichetti was announced as one of the film's directors a year later. Unfortunately, like the rest of Hollywood, the film was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by 2021, Joel Crawford was announced as the new director.
How Puss In Boots 2 Reboots The Shrek Franchise
There have been rumors of another Shrek film for a few years, but no information on the film has been released. However, the end of Puss In Boots 2 suggests Shrek 5 is coming soon. After Puss defeats death, he, Kitty, and Perrito sail off to Far Far Away, the land in Shrek where Fiona's family lives and where Puss meets Shrek and Donkey for the first time. Puss says he's off to visit some old friends, and the music that plays sounds a lot like the Shrek score.
With the success of Puss In Boots, another Shrek film is more likely than ever before. If a Puss In Boots sequel can succeed 12 years after the original, then another Shrek film can also do well, even though the last movie was released over a decade ago. Puss In Boots 2's success proves the franchise is still in demand all these years later, and working the cat into another Shrek movie would draw in audiences all over the world to see him reunite with his friends Shrek and Donkey.