‘Shrek 5’ Release Date: Fifth Film Looking to Reinvent the Franchise; Production Has Yet to Begin

Following the announcement in 2016 that “Shrek 5” is indeed happening, DreamWorks studio has yet to provide details about the film. Production for it hasn’t even begun yet.

All that’s been revealed so far is that “Shrek 5” will be an entry that is looking to reinvent the series to provide a fresh take for the lovable, albeit ill-tempered, ogre. This new perspective is sorely needed given that the lessons that Shrek has learned over the years have only been shades of the same thing, Screen Rant reported.

It was initially thought that the entire franchise would end in 2010 after the release of “Shrek Forever After.” So it came as a surprise when “Shrek 5” was announced, with Eddie Murphy himself confirming its return.

“The Nutty Professor” star said that they are indeed doing the film but didn’t disclose any information about it. The good news is that the script of “Shrek 5” is already finished as has been confirmed by multiple individuals involved in its development. The thing to watch out for now is when production will begin.

So far, however, nothing substantial has surfaced on the web. The release date of “Shrek 5” is also muddled, too, despite Murphy maintaining that it will arrive sometime between 2019 and 2020, Cinema Blend reported.

With the production at a standstill and everyone involved going radio silence, it’s unlikely that the fifth film will come out this year. And if “Shrek 5” does come out in 2020, it’ll likely hit theatres during the holiday season. That puts it a year and a half as of this writing.

Regarding the casts, Murphy is the only one who confirmed that he’s returning. Mike Myers, Antonio Banderas, and Cameron Diaz have yet to announce if they’re reprising their roles. However, since writer Christopher Meledandri said that they don’t want to tamper with the voice acting, it’s expected that most of the main cast will return barring Diaz. The “Sex Tape” actress previously said that she’s going to retire from Hollywood and the last time that she’s been on the big screen was in 2014, Variety reported.