Universal Pictures has shifted the release date of "Shrek 5" to December 23, 2026, while moving the "Despicable Me" spin-off, "Minions 3," into its former slot. According to Variety, "Minions 3" is now set to premiere on July 1, 2026, maintaining the tradition of the "Despicable Me" series capitalizing on the Independence Day box office. "Shrek 5" will aim to capture the holiday audience in 2026, marking the first mainline release in the series in 16 years.
The sequel was first announced in 2016, but it wasn't until 2023 that Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination, confirmed its active development and expressed interest in a Donkey spin-off. Eddie Murphy, who voices Donkey, provided an update a year later, confirming that production on "Shrek 5" had begun. "We started doing [Shrek 5] months ago," Murphy stated. "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."
"Shrek 5" will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original "Shrek" film, which was released in 2001. The franchise has since seen sequels with "Shrek 2" in 2004, "Shrek the Third" in 2007, and "Shrek Forever After" in 2010.
The "Shrek" universe has also expanded with two "Puss in Boots" spin-offs. The first premiered in 2011, followed by "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" in 2022, which received exceptional reviews, scoring a 9/10 from IGN. IGN praised the film, saying, "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish mixes stunning animation with a poignant, surprisingly mature story to deliver the Shrek franchise's answer to Logan we didn't know we needed."
