“Shrek 5” is in production and is currently scheduled to be released on February 1 July 1, 2026. Plus: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz will all return to voice Shrek, Donkey and Fiona respectively. Now that Myers' confirmed voice work has begun, he's been busy letting everyone know that the original Shrek promotion was an absolute disaster.
The clips come from Vulture's interview with the veteran actor, comedian and filmmaker, who was happy to talk about Shrek and his relationship with the character and film franchise over the years.
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It turns out that Shrek (the protagonist, not the movie) may have gone in a very different direction, with DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg delivering the initial pitch at the worst possible time. “I went to the premiere of Saving Private Ryan and Jeffrey Katzenberg came up to me in the lobby with his daughters, who then performed Austin Powers “The dance sequence in “…it was after such a heavy movie that I was in tears because my parents were in World War II and I was shocked, and then they started dancing.”
To add insult to injury, the movie had a terrible title, or at least that's what the actor thought at the time: “Well, that's the worst title I've ever heard in my life,” he said candidly. However, when he sat down to watch a movie that was showing, the situation took a turn. Like most viewers, he was attracted to the show's fresh, modernized take on classic fairy tales when it came out: “So I saw it and I loved how it subverted fairy tales. I thought it was really, really clever. Fairy Tales Is it a Eurocentric form that involves class, right? To say, “Yes, we know it’s Eurocentric, but it could be more creative and inclusive. “And I think it's great that there are African-American voices in Donkeys.”
As for the question of actually getting Shrek right during the making of the first film, Miles famously switched from a Canadian accent to a Scottish accent midway through, something both Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg considered restoring The cost of the scene is very expensive. But they eventually bit the bullet and later realized the movie was better with the change. “You're absolutely right,” Spielberg said. “You're 100 percent more connected to the movie.” Anyone who has seen the movie will agree that Myers' performance and accent are one of the keys to their stellar performance.
He's not wrong about the first film as a whole, either. More than 20 years later, no matter how you feel about the franchise following Shrek 2, the original story is brilliant and resonates with both kids and adults in a way that few animated films can. It's also a family-friendly film that doesn't offer viewers simplistic character arcs and themes. Paycheck aside, Myers seems genuinely happy to be back in that world again, confirming that he's currently delivering some lines but has yet to reunite with co-stars Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz.
