Eddie Murphy will return to another of his signature roles not just once but twice.
The 63-year-old comedy legend, who was recently joined by three of his ten children at his latest premiere, revealed that not only has he already started working on Shrek 5, but his character Donkey will also be getting his own spin-off film.
He talked about the next steps for the popular animated film series in a new interview with Collider as he said: ‘We started doing Shrek (5) four or five months ago.
“I recorded the first act and we’ll do it this year, we’ll finish it.”
Although there were rumors that Shrek 5 had been in the works since April 2023, it had not yet been confirmed until that point.
Eddie Murphy revealed that not only has he already started working on Shrek 5, but his character Donkey will also be getting his own spin-off movie.
He spoke about the next steps for the popular animated film series in a new interview with Collider, saying: “We started making Shrek (5) four or five months ago. ‘I shot the first act, we’ll do it this year, we’ll finish it.’
Eddie also revealed that he was not doing voice work for the two films simultaneously, explaining, “Another Shrek is coming out and Donkey is going to have his own movie.”
“I think (Shrek 5) will come out in 2025, and then we’ll do a Donkey movie next.”
In April 2023, Shrek 5 was reported to be in development with Eddie, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz all in talks to reprise their roles.
In an interview with Variety At the time, Chris Meledandri, 64, founder and CEO of Illumination, confirmed that although no one had signed on the dotted line yet, talks for the project were underway.
“We anticipate the cast will return,” the executive said at the time.
“Talks are starting now and all the indications we have received indicate that there is tremendous enthusiasm on the part of the actors to return,” he added.
The first Shrek, released in 2001, was a huge success and won the Oscar for best animated film.
Meledandri said he was moved when he read the comments of the outlet from Murphy onwards, who said he would be open to making a Donkey spin-off after the success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
In April 2023, Shrek 5 was reported to be in development with Eddie, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz all in talks to reprise their roles; Pictured is Shrek 2 from 2004.
The original cast is photographed in New York in April 2010.
The animated adventure starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek had grossed $186.09 million domestically and $295.61 million internationally for a worldwide total of $481.71 million.
“If (DreamWorks) ever came out with another Shrek,” Eddie previously said, “I’d do it in two seconds.”
The actor even showed interest in a possible spin-off of his character when he said, “I love Donkey.”
‘They made Puss in Boots movies. I thought, “They should have made a Donkey movie.”
The first Shrek, released in 2001, was a huge success and won the Oscar for best animated film. Since then, three other films in the franchise have been released.
“If (DreamWorks) ever came out with another Shrek,” Eddie previously said, “I’d do it in two seconds.”
“The donkey is funnier than the puss in boots,” said the star. “I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he’s not as funny as Donkey.”
One element that would have prevented Shrek 5 from becoming a reality was that Cameron Diaz, 51, had stopped acting in 2014 and announced her retirement four years later.
However, his return role is opposite Jamie Foxx in the action comedy Back In Action, which will air on Netflix in November.
