Shrek 5 is actually happening for real

Whispers of a fifth Shrek film have been circulating for years, but it’s official now — and it has a release date. DreamWorks released a tiny little teaser set to Smash Mouth’s “All Star” announcing that Shrek and his friends will return on July 1, 2026.

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are all confirmed to return to their roles as Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona. Apparently, Murphy had previously let slip that Shrek 5 was happening back in June, but this is the first official confirmation. Murphy also let slip that there’s a Donkey spinoff on the way. And hey, if it’s anything nearly as good as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, then bring on the Donkey movie. (It’s actually not confirmed if Antonio Banderas, the voice of Puss, will return for Shrek 5.)

The first Shrek movie came out in 2001 and fundamentally changed the landscape of American animation. It wasn’t just the then-groundbreaking CG animation; Shrek smashed fairytale archetypes with a satirical wink wink nudge nudge and turned towards crass humor. That became a staple of American animation for the next decade or so.

Four movies, two spinoffs, a theme park land, and so many memes later, Shrek’s legacy is still going on strong! And yes, I may have theorized that Shrek is dead in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, but hey! Who says Shrek 5 doesn’t happen before it in the timeline? The original Puss in Boots was a prequel after all. Last we saw Shrek in his own movie was 14 years ago, when he was raising baby triplets. Which means Dad Shrek raising teenage ogres is a strong contender for the plot of Shrek 5. Personally, I would like to see it.

Shrek 5 hits theaters summer 2026. Drop your theories on what Shrek’s been up to since 2010.