DreamWorks Confirms 2028 Release for "Donkey," a Shrek Spinoff
Universal and DreamWorks have officially set a release date for "Donkey," an upcoming spinoff that pulls the franchise's most talkative and emotionally needy character out of Shrek's shadow and into his own feature film. The studio has scheduled the movie for theaters on June 30, 2028, giving fans a long runway to anticipate the project. Eddie Murphy, whose vocal performance has defined the character since the original film debuted, is confirmed to reprise the role. Rather than continuing the established storyline, "Donkey" will function as an origin story, tracing the path of how an ordinary donkey transformed into the wisecracking, loyalty-obsessed companion audiences have known for over two decades.
Behind the camera, the film will be helmed by director Charlie Bean, whose past credits include "The Lego Ninjago Movie" and the live-action reimagining of "Lady and the Tramp." He'll be joined by co-director Matt Flynn, a DreamWorks veteran whose story artist work has shaped recent animated hits such as "The Wild Robot," "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," and "The Bad Guys 2." Producing duties fall to Rebecca Huntley, who previously helped bring "Kung Fu Panda 4" and "The Bad Guys" to the screen.
Notably, "Donkey" won't be the only trip back to Far, Far Away for audiences in the coming years. A year ahead of the spinoff's debut, Universal and DreamWorks are bringing the core franchise back with "Shrek 5," slated for release in the summer of 2027.
That film will reunite the franchise's most recognizable voices, with Mike Myers returning as the misunderstood ogre himself, Murphy once again voicing Donkey, and Cameron Diaz stepping back into the role of Fiona. The returning cast will be joined by newcomer Zendaya, whose addition has already generated buzz about how her character might fit into the established mythology of the series. Directing duties for "Shrek 5" will fall to Conrad Vernon and Walt Dohrn, both of whom have deep roots in the franchise's creative history and have previously guided entries in the series.
The "Shrek" franchise has remained one of animation's most enduring success stories since it first hit theaters in 2000. The original film reinvented fairy tale storytelling by centering its narrative on a grumpy, swamp-dwelling ogre and the unlikely group of misfit characters who surround him, subverting traditional "happily ever after" tropes in the process. That first installment was a massive success, pulling in close to $500 million at the global box office while also making history as the first film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a category that had only just been introduced.
Since then, the franchise has expanded considerably, with three direct sequels extending the story: "Shrek 2" in 2004, "Shrek the Third" in 2007, and "Shrek Forever After" in 2010. The franchise's footprint grew even further with the introduction of two standalone "Puss in Boots" films, which gave the swashbuckling feline character his own spotlight outside the main series. Taken together, the franchise's various films have generated more than $3 billion in worldwide box office revenue, cementing "Shrek" as one of the most commercially successful animated properties in film history.
