MANILA, Philippines — Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy confirmed that a fifth "Shrek" movie is in development and there are spin-off plans for his character in the franchise "Donkey."
Murphy sat down for an interview with Collider to promote his newest movie "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F," another long-running franchise he returned to after several years.
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The interview pivoted to Dreamworks Animation's recent releases "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish," set within the "Shrek" universe, and this year's "Kung Fu Panda 4," which led to Murphy dropping the surprise.
"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.
"Puss In Boots: The Last Wish" teased the titular character returning to Far, Far Away to "visit some old friends" — hinting at Shrek, his wife Fiona, and Donkey — but Dreamworks has yet to confirm the project.
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Murphy didn't stop there, "'Shrek 5' 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]."
He clarified that he did initial recordings for an upcoming "Shrek" project, which may come out in 2025, then will move on to a project dedicated to Donkey.
Since the release of the first "Shrek" film in 2001, the franchise has earned over $4 billion (P235 billion) at the global box office.
The last "Shrek" movie was "Shrek Forever" from 2010, then the franchise pivoted to "Puss In Boots" the following year and its 2022 sequel.
Mainstays throughout the films with Murphy's Donkey are Mike Myers as Shrek, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and Antonio Banderas as Puss.
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