Shrek 5: Release date news, cast details, and more about the much-awaited sequel

Earlier this year, Universal decided to swap the release times for Shrek 5 and Minions 3 in the 2026 release window. The fifth film in the Shrek franchise has been on NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke's mind since 2016 (maybe before that), and now he is close to seeing that idea come to fruition.

The first four films in the franchise came within a span of ten years, from 2001 to 2010. We got a couple of spin-offs too, Puss in Boots (2011) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), with Antonio Banderas portraying the swashbuckling fugitive cat. Except for the first film, he was there with the rest of the gang. He isn't (confirmed) in the sequel.

Only four members of the cast are confirmed to date; we will get to see more whenever Universal decides to do that, but there's one new member joining the franchise. We will look at some details about the film available now.

When is Shrek 5 coming out

Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Mike Myers will reprise their roles for the film. (Image via Youtube/ Universal Pictures)

Shrek 5 was supposed to be released earlier, by July 2026, until earlier this year (as we mentioned) and now it's set to hit the theaters on December 23, 2026. This is the first time a Shrek movie won't be released in May.

Now that it's set to release in December 2026, it'll share the month with a couple more much anticipated films, including a Jumanji: The Next Level sequel and Ice Age 6. It's not confirmed, but Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Messiah could be sharing the room too. Christmas holidays are going to be fun next year, it seems.

Confirmed members of the Shrek 5 cast

A month ago, on Feb 27, 2025, to be precise, Universal Pictures dropped a cast announcement, and thank them for not giving us a slow burn like Avengers: Doomsday did recently (it was five heckin' hours for like 26 names!)

That video had the Magic Mirror, Pinocchio, and a new member of the Shrek family too alongside the returning characters, who would be, of course, Shrek himself, Donkey, and Princess Fiona. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, respectively, will reprise their roles for the film.

Additionally, (can you believe it?!) Zendaya is the newest member of the Shrek family and appears as Shrek and Fiona's daughter, Felicia. If Dune: Messiah is really on the books for December 2026, that'll give the actress two releases in the same month! All we know is that she is a genius at giving savage replies and we should expect them in Shrek 5 too.

A brief recap of the main storyline

Spoiler alert! Only if you haven't seen the four main films in the franchise. Only the ones working on the film know about Shrek 5's plot, so this is the best we can do story-wise. Speculations are too mainstream.

So the first film is where we meet the titular Shrek, who meets Donkey and Princess Fiona, and a fire-breathing dragon who has fallen in love with Donkey. Later, Shrek and Fiona marry as the film ends. Some fairy people tried to break this marriage (read that as society) but that didn't really work out.

The other three films follow Shrek on his adventures to win back Fiona, find a new king for his father-in-law's kingdom, and finally truly realise what his family means to him.

That's all I'm willing to tell you. For more spoilers, go see the films yourself!