Shrek 5 with original cast in development with Eddie Murphy Donkey spinoff, Sing 3 and more

Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, who also serves as a creative partner to DreamWorks Animation, has teased several new films and sequels in some of the most popular animated franchises! Meledandri, who’s currently gearing for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, spoke to Variety revealing some follow-up projects that are currently in development.

As the outlet shares, DreamWorks Animation looks to reboot the Shrek franchise and Meledandri is reportedly keen to see the return of the film’s original voice cast (which includes Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy) for Shrek 5. “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,” Meledandri said.

“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.” While the project deals are still in negotiations with the actors, Meledandri further added, “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.”

Previously, following the success of the 2022 Shrek spinoff sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Murphy said in January, “If [DreamWorks] ever came with another ‘Shrek,’ I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey. They did ‘Puss in Boots’ movies. I was like, ‘They should have done a Donkey movie.’ Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey.”

The Illumination Founder said he was “thrilled” after Murphy’s comments, adding, “It’s evidence of his strong enthusiasm for a role that he so brilliantly inhabited and really created alongside the artists at DreamWorks. I found that comment to be very exciting.” When asked about a standalone film for the character of Donkey, Meledandri answered, “Without question,” thus suggesting a Donkey spinoff with Eddie Murphy.

In January, Murphy made headlines when he suggested the possibility of a spinoff centered around Donkey. “I love Donkey,” Murphy told Etalk at the time. “They did the Puss in Boots movies. I was like; they should have done a Donkey movie. Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots but he ain’t as funny as the Donkey. … I would do a Donkey movie; I would do another Shrek, in two seconds.”

After the 2010 release of Shrek Forever After, the franchise shifted focus to other characters for future movies and projects. Puss in Boots starred in two movies (2011 and 2022) and a TV series called The Adventures of Puss in Boots. Speaking of a follow-up on The Secret Life of Pets, Meledandri shared, “We’re developing a couple of scripts in ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ world. While we’re not ready yet to start a film, we’re absolutely continuing to develop in that franchise.”

He further added, “One of the stories that we’re developing involves one primary character from the first two films but introduces a new set of characters. And then another story that we’re developing is the ensemble. So, we’re looking at it from different angles.” As the outlet suggests, Meledandri is also “deep into development” on Sing 3, a series about animals competing in a talent competition.

“It will involve characters from the original cast, but it will take us into a new world,” he said. “We don’t just look at box office,” Meledandri said of the decision to make more Sing films. “We gauge the audience response in different ways. The streaming success of ‘Sing 2’ signals that fans want to stay in this world with these characters.”