Shrek 5 ***************

Illumination is ready to go on another quest with Shrek. In a new interview, the animation studio’s boss Chris Meledandri said plans were in motion to produce a fifth “Shrek” movie with most of the cast at least interested in coming back to voice the original characters.

“It’s not that dissimilar to the process that we went through ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ where you look at what the core elements are that audiences have loved, and you do your very best to honor those core elements,” Meledandri told Variety. “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.”

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Meledandri said no one from the original cast has signed on, but “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.” Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy voiced the main characters in the franchise.

“Shrek” was released in 2001 and grossed almost $500 million worldwide. The film and its three sequels have grossed almost $3 billion worldwide and are credited with helping stamp DreamWorks Animation as a major player in the genre. “They [the Shrek films] defined us as a company in terms of what a DreamWorks animated movie is and can be and should be, so they really helped us find ourselves,” former DreamWorks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg once said. “That first ‘Shrek’ saved the company financially. We’re here today because of it. It’s been a great blessing. I refer to it as the gift that keeps on giving.”

The “Shrek” franchise even spawned a lucrative spinoff series, “Puss In Boots,” which debuted in 2011. The “Puss in Boots” sequel, “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish,” was released last year with strong reviews, robust ticket sales, and even awards acclaim. “The Last Wish” was among the five animated movies nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

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Meledandri has discussed “Shrek 5” plans before. Back in 2018, Meledandri told Variety that another “Shrek” project was something he hoped to see come to fruition. “When you look back on those vocal performances, they’re awesome, and while you certainly could make a case for a complete reinvention, I find myself responding to my own nostalgic feelings of wanting to go back to those characterizations,” Meledandri said. “The challenge for us has been to find something that really does feel like it’s not simply yet another film in a series of sequels.”

For his part, Murphy is absolutely down to return, he said to ETalk, “I’d absolutely be open if they ever came with another ‘Shrek,’ I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey.”