"Shrek 5 Postponed, Swaps Dates with Minions 3"

Universal Pictures has recently announced a reshuffling of its release calendar, pushing back Shrek 5 to December 23, 2026, and slotting Minions 3, a spin-off from the Despicable Me series, into its former July 1, 2026, slot. This strategic move aligns Minions 3 with the lucrative Independence Day box office, a tradition upheld by previous Despicable Me films. Meanwhile, Shrek 5 will now aim to capitalize on the holiday season, marking its return to the big screen after a 16-year hiatus.

The journey to Shrek 5 has been a long one, with the project first announced in 2016 but only seeing active development confirmed in 2023 by Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination. Alongside Shrek 5, plans for a Donkey spin-off were also revealed. Eddie Murphy, who voices Donkey, provided an update in 2024, confirming that production on Shrek 5 was well underway. He shared, "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."

The release of Shrek 5 will coincide with the franchise's 25th anniversary, as the original Shrek hit theaters in 2001. It was followed by sequels Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After in 2004, 2007, and 2010, respectively. Additionally, the franchise has expanded with two successful Puss in Boots spin-offs, with the first released in 2011 and the critically acclaimed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish arriving in 2022. The latter received high praise, earning a 9/10 from IGN, which described 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."