‘Shrek 5' release date, production update: Movie premiere might not happen before 2022

“Shrek” is probably one of the most popular animated movie franchises in modern history. It garnered more than $1 billion in box office excluding its 2011 spin-off “Puss in Boots.” Many fans were told that the fourth installment was going to be its finale until reports came out that “Shrek 5” is being planned by DreamWorks Animation.

‘Shrek 5’ possible release date: Animated movie won’t premiere earlier than 2022?

It has been a while since the first reports about the making of “Shrek 5” were released. Since then there have been apparent changes in the production that might have delayed the originally intended release date.

The latest production update for “Shrek 5” was made known in late 2018 when it was confirmed that Illumination CEO and founder Chris Meledandri had been assigned to lead the movie project. Meledandri is known for producing other popular animated film series such as “Despicable Me” and “Minions.” So adding him to the “Shrek 5” team only increased the hype on the revival of the fairy tale parody series.

However, based on the other projects that Meledandri is handling, it appears that “Shrek 5” might not be released for at least three more years. He is also working on another movie take on the popular video game “Super Mario Bros.” that was reported as a “priority development” for Meledandri. But it is slated to premiere sometime in 2022 that means “Shrek 5” is impossible to be released or developed anytime before that.

‘Shrek 5’ production, cast: Is the movie already in development?

While it now seems fans will have to wait for years before seeing “Shrek 5,” at least, it is clear that the efforts remain to produce the movie. In a 2018 interview with Meledandri for Variety, he revealed his initial plans and vision for the taking over the franchise’s return.

Meledandri admitted that being a fan of “Shrek,” he is sometimes drawn to bringing back the original elements of the movie series. But with the way he talked about his “Shrek 5” plans, it appeared that the upcoming movie would end up being a reboot.