Gather around Shrek fans, for we have some good news. After 15 years since we enjoyed the swampy land of Shrek, Princess Fiona, and their ever-loving and witty sidekick Donkey, talk of the town is that a new movie has already gone into production. And that is not all, as a standalone movie about Donkey is also in the works.
Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey is one of the most beloved characters of the franchise, and it is to the delight of fans that his character is getting his own movie to share. During a recent interview, Murphy revealed that he will be returning for both movies – Shrek 5 as well as the Donkey movie that has been planned.
Eddie Murphy’s Donkey Will Return With Shrek 5
It’s been 15 long years since Shrek last graced our screens with its many adored characters. Shrek Forever After, which was released back in 2010, was initially dubbed Shrek: The Final Chapter, before makers decided that there was more to tell about the green ogre. And the script for the next story is finally complete, written by Michael McCullers.
In a conversation with Collider, while promoting his upcoming film, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Eddie Murphy spoke of the next Shrek film that she has already started working on.
We started doing Shrek 4 or [Shrek] 5 months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year, we’ll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey’s gonna have his own movie. We’re gonna do Donkey as well. So we’re gonna do a Shrek, and we’re doing a Donkey [movie].
The movie is inching for a 2025 release, but production is still ongoing. Eddie Murphy is already confirmed to reprise his role as Donkey. Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas, on the other hand, are still in talks to return to their respective roles of Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Puss in Boots.
Fans Are Ready to Sing Along With Eddie Murphy Once More
While fans are already excited about the next Shrek installment, the news of a Donkey standalone movie has only added to that. After the unprecedented success of Puss in Boots (2011) and its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), bringing Donkey to the center of the story is one of the best decisions from Universal Pictures. Being a fan-favorite character, he has been a part of the story since Shrek, which came out in 2001.
But Eddie Murphy, who voices the character, has done so much more for it. In the first Shrek movie, his character Donkey is seen to be singing along to The Monkees’ song I’m a Believer. Murphy himself sang the song for the movie and was featured in the movie’s soundtrack. Marylata Jacob, the film’s music supervisor, told Entertainment Weekly:
Murphy is the only [actor] who made it to the soundtrack. Because, quite frankly, he actually is a singer.
In Shrek 2, Murphy and Banderas’ Donkey and Puss in Boots sang Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, followed by Thank You in Shrek 3. Hopefully, fans will get to see Donkey singing his heart out once more in Shrek 5, which is expected to be released in theaters in 2025.
