The star of Challengers, Euphoria, Dune and the Spider-Man movies will lend her voice to the beloved fairy tale comedy sequel.
A fifth Shrek film has been officially in the works. It’s set for a December 2026 release date (around the 25th anniversary of the original film) , with original cast members Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy all confirmed. Murphy himself, in the press lead-up to Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, revealed that some recording had already been done for the film and that his character, Donkey, is set for his own spinoff movie. Dreamworks made the official Shrek 5 announcement via social media, along with a tease for the film you can see embedded above!
The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that Zendaya is now set to star in the film as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter. Zendaya’s resume is already filled to the brim with anticipated projects as she’s set to make a return to the sandy epic sci-fi franchise with Dune: Messiah, as well as returning to the MCU as Peter Parker’s former love interest in the next Spider-Man movie, and she’s finally started production on season 3 of HBO’s hit controversial drama Euphoria, which will feature a time jump in the new storyline.
Murphy previously teased that he’d already done some recording on Shrek 5 last year and revealed that a Donkey spinoff movie is also in the works. “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,” Murphy said. “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 last official Shrek movie, Shrek Forever After, came out way back in 2010 and proved to be the lowest-grossing entry into the saga, still earning a muscular $238 million domestically and another $500 million overseas. However, two Puss in Boots spinoffs have since come out, keeping the franchise alive. The last one, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, was a surprise hit in 2022, with it making $186 million domestically, despite movies, on the whole, not doing well that holiday season. It also made another $295 million internationally, so there’s still an appetite for the franchise.
