In 2001, we got Shrek. In 2002, we got Shrek 2. In 2007, we got Shrek the Third. In 2010, we got Shrek Forever After. Then, in 2016, Shrek 5 was announced. For the last four years, there’s been a lot of back-and-forth and speculation surrounding the fifth and reportedly, final film in the Shrek franchise.

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As of now, the plans for Shrek 5 have been slowed and disjointed, but audiences will indeed receive a fifth entry in the Shrek saga. Because the plans for this film were in the spotlight a number of times over the last few years, there’s a lot we know about what Shrek 5 could have been, and new information concerning what will be.

Updated July 29th, 2020 by George Chrysostomou: A lot has changed since this article was written and there's a variety of new updates about the newest iteration of Shrek 5, set to release in 2022. Let's catch up on the highly anticipated return of everyone's favorite green All-Star ogre.

It All Started With A Merge

Shred and Donkey in Shrek

Back in 2016, Dreamworks was bought out by Comcast NBC Universal. The latter is responsible for the Despicable Me franchise. When Shrek 5 was announced four years ago, it was set to be the first movie produced after this big merge between two power houses in animated children’s movies, right behind the masters themselves, The Walt Disney Company.

The fact that a Shrek sequel was coming out with fresh eyes attached excited a lot of fans, and made a few others nervous. It’s also safe to assume that the legalities of this merge could have played a role in the initial delay for this project.

The Despicable Me Producers Were In Charge

The same team that brought us those funny little yellow minions and an evil super villain turned father-of-the-year were supposed to be the ones responsible for bringing back the Ogre and his Princess. The Despicable Me films are great, but they are very different from Shrek.

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Really, the only similarity between these two franchises is that they both appeal to children and adults alike. Having the minion team telling Shrek and Fiona’s love story could have potentially ruined the entire franchise.

Five Movies Was Always The Plan

When Shrek was still living at Dreamworks, Jeffrey Katzenberg had a lot of plans for the film franchise. He said publicly, back in 2016, that he had a plan for five Shrek movies.

“Before the first one was finished, we talked about what the whole story of Shrek is, and each of the chapters answers questions about the first movie and gives us insight... in the last chapter, we will understand how Shrek came to be in the swamp, when we meet him in the first movie.” Does this mean Shrek 5 was going to be an origin story?

There’s A Script

Michael McCullers, the writer behind films like Boss Baby and the Austin Powers movies, penned the script for Shrek 5. He’s talked about it in interviews a few times over the years and has always seemed really excited about the material.

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In one interview, he revealed that the fifth and final installment in the franchise was “really personal” to him and he “really, really” loves it. Well, we would have been “really, really” excited to see what McCullers came up with!

It Was Cancelled So The Team Could Focus On Another Film

Rumor has it, that shortly after Shrek 5 went into development, another film under the Shrek umbrella entered into pre-production status as well, that film being the Puss and Boots sequel, Puss and Boots 2: Nine Lives and Forty Thieves.

This film also has yet to be released, but the IMDb page for this sequel seems a lot more promising than Shrek’s current page, though both pages have changed release date information multiple times over the last three or four years, leaving us all to wonder, what the heck is going on over at Universal?

It Wasn’t Actually A Sequel

Fans speculated for months as to what a fifth Shrek would give us, and some reports said that it wouldn’t be a sequel at all, but a reboot. The original Shrek came out in 2001, and apparently in Hollywood, twenty years is a long enough shelf life for a film to earn a reboot.

It seems Hollywood will reboot just about anything these days, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the original Shrek is pretty much perfect. Does it really need a reboot? And if it got one, what is there to reboot?

It Aimed To Reinvent The Franchise

With two mega studios like Dreamworks and Universal merging, it makes sense that they wanted to do something big, and given the fact that Universal actually bought out Dreamworks, they also wanted to do things the Universal Studios way.

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This fifth film would have stood out among the rest and according to some, would have been more of a stand alone, despite carrying on the same name as all of the other films. Universal was most likely just being politically correct when they used the term “reinvent” to describe their pre-production process.

Puss In Boots May Also Be Rebooted

Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws

Although a sequel is also in the works for the Puss In Boots character, there's also talk that the famous feline will get a reboot treatment alongside Donkey, Shrek, Fiona and the rest of the gang.

It's unknown whether Puss In Boots 2 will therefore feature elements of this rebooted universe or perhaps continue on with where the franchise left off. Either way, production appears to be slowly moving along with the project.

The Original Cast Was Coming Back

Despite the fact that Shrek 5 would not pick up where Shrek Forever After left off, the original cast was still on board. Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers, and all of our favorites were ready to get to work in 2011, and again in 2014, and then again in 2018.

A reboot with everyone from the original cast is an interesting choice for the studio to make and without seeing the script, it’s hard to judge if this was a smart business decision or not by the Universal heads. It’s a shame we’ll never know if something like that could work.

Fans Are Already Confused By The Project

There's been a lot of confusion surrounding this Shrek sequel. The ogre franchise has a strong fan base that seemed confused by the announcements Dreamworks made.

It seemed that audiences are confused as to why the series is being rebooted while also containing the same cast members. While fans will be waiting with baited breath to see their favorite heroes return to the big screen, there seems to be confusion as to what that will look like in the final edit.

It May Have Been Live Action

A few years ago, back in 2018, the whispers began again about the return of our favorite Ogre and some people started saying that it would be a live action remake. If that’s the case, then we should all be very pleased that this new installment in the fairytale franchise is a no-go.

Something about seeing Eddie Murphy as a CGI donkey probably wouldn’t sit well with audiences. If Cats taught us anything, it’s that no one really wants to see their favorite movie star turned into a four legged friend.

It May Not Be Cancelled After All

The whispers have started back up again. As recent as December of 2019, it was reported that Shrek 5 was still in the making. A few sources have even claimed to have a leaked release date, which is September 23, 2022.

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It will be interesting to see if anything comes from these rumors. Will it happen? And if so, what will it be? Who knows, Mike, Eddie, and Cameron could be in a studio at this very moment making new magic for audiences to enjoy in just a few short years.

The Project Has Been Stalled

Much like so many other projects in Hollywood, it appears that Shrek 5 has been stalled while the COVID-19 Pandemic is continuing to affect every day business.

There's a lot of signs to suggest that this could change soon as departments continue to go back to work, but there was a minor confirmation on on social media that seemed to indicate delays were in store.

Some Changes Were Made To The Script

In order to keep it in line with modern audiences and to appeal to the youth of today, a number of script changes have been made since the initial project was first announced.

After cancellations, revivals, and potential delays, a lot of time has passed. Shrek 5 may have a largely revised story compared to when this article was last written, suggesting the characters could be taken in a new direction.

Production To Start Late 2020

Shrek Ending Scene

The delays may have a larger impact than feared, but production is still set to start later this year and at the very latest in early 2021. This is to keep in line with the 2022 release date that the film currently boasts.

These schedules could certainly move around more, especially since the release dates of many major films continue to change as cinemas only just start to open once more.

NEXT: Entire Shrek Franchise (Including Spinoffs & Musical), Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes