Universal Pictures has shifted the release date of Shrek 5 to December 23, 2026, and moved the Despicable Me 3 spin-off, Minions 3, into its former slot. According to Variety, Minions 3 will now premiere on July 1, 2026, aligning with the tradition of Despicable Me films capitalizing on the Independence Day box office. Meanwhile, Shrek 5 is set to hit theaters during the 2026 holiday season, marking the first mainline release in the series in 16 years.
The sequel was first announced back in 2016 but saw little progress until 2023, when Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination, confirmed that Shrek 5 was in active development. Alongside this announcement, he also expressed interest in developing a Donkey spin-off. Eddie Murphy, who voices Donkey, further confirmed the project's progress a year later, stating, "We started doing [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. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey's gonna have his own movie. We're gonna do Donkey as well."
When Shrek 5 releases, it will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Shrek franchise, which began with the original film in 2001. The series continued with Shrek 2 in 2004, Shrek the Third in 2007, and Shrek Forever After in 2010.
The Shrek universe has also expanded with the Puss in Boots spin-offs, the first released in 2011 and the second, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, in 2022. The latter received widespread acclaim, earning a 9/10 from IGN, which praised it as, "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."
