Those who thought that DreamWorks had put Shrek behind them after 2010’s Shrek Forever After (which was even subtitled The Final Chapter) are sadly mistaken. According to the studio’s animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, a fifth outing for the titular grumpy ogre is in the works.
In an interview with Fox Business Network, Katzenberg dropped a hint that the studio wasn’t quite done with Shrek just yet, and had simply been taking a bit of a break from the franchise.
“We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest, but I think you can be confident that we’ll have another chapter in the Shrek series. We’re not finished, and more importantly, neither is he.”
That’s all Katzenberg would say on the matter, but it should come as no shock that the studio is looking to bring the character back. After all, the franchise has grossed $2.9 billion worldwide to date. Still, this news is certainly interesting, as it appeared that DreamWorks had moved on to other properties, like How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda. Both of those films are getting sequels and there are also several other projects in the pipeline that may lead to future franchises.
So, it begs the question, why revive Shrek now, four years after the story wrapped? My guess is that DreamWorks is looking to revisit their most popular and successful franchise since some of their current ones are presumably on their way out (assuming, of course, that How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda don’t get more than three films each).
Of course, this is all speculation for now, and Katzenberg didn’t give us very much solid solid information to go on. However, he has sparked the conversation about a possible Shrek 5 and for those of us who miss the big green ogre, that’s definitely good news.