After years of rumors and false starts, Shrek 5 is now officially in development with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy all expected to return. The first Shrek was released in 2001, kickstarting a successful franchise that now includes four feature films and several spinoffs, including the recent Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Myers' Shrek last graced the big screen in 2010's Shrek Forever After, but a fifth outing never came to fruition.

In a recent interview with Variety, however, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, who is also a creative partner to DreamWorks Animation, confirms that Shrek 5 is now in development with Myers, Diaz, and Murphy in talks to return as Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, respectively. While no story details are available just yet, Meledandri teases that the new movie would honor the original films while also blazing new ground. Check out Meledandri's comments regarding Shrek 5 below:

“It’s not that dissimilar to the process that we went through with ‘Mario,’ where you look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved, and you do your very best to honor those core elements. And then you’re hard at work to build story elements and new characters that take you to brand new places. The original cast is a huge part of that.”

We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return.”

Now Is The Perfect Time For Shrek 5

Puss in Boots flies through the air in Puss In Boots The Last Wish

Shrek 2 earned a franchise-high box office total of $935 million, but each subsequent installment in the mainline franchise, while remaining successful, saw diminishing returns. Shrek Forever After also earned mostly middling reviews from audiences and critics, which was likely a contributing factor to the franchise being put on ice. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish defied expectations last year, however, earning great reviews and becoming a box office success.

In addition to telling a moving story that grapples with universal themes and featuring some standout voice performances from Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish also features a fresh animation style compared to previous entries in the Shrek franchise. Influenced by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's unique animation and art style, the new Puss in Boots adventure demonstrated that there's still life in the long-running franchise.

What's more, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish also tees up the return of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, with its ending, which sees Puss announce that he's going to reunite with some "old friends." If Shrek 5 can feature an emotional and universal story with a fresh and creative animation style, it could reinvigorate the franchise even further. It remains to be seen how the movie actually turns out but now seems like the perfect time to get the gang back together for another adventure.

Source: Variety