Shrek might not be living happily ever after, as the cranky green ogre is likely to return to theaters soon.
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Austin Powers and Baby Mama writer Michael McCullers just finished penning the script for the fifth film in the Shrek franchise, and has said the film is in development.
The writer is recently riding the wave of success of his Alec Baldwin-starring animated film the Boss Baby—which is currently crushing the Ghost in the Shell adaptation in theaters—but said he is excited to see what the future holds for Shrek and his fairy tale-skewering world.
“I finished that script, which I really, really, really love. It’s really personal to me,” McCullers said about Shrek 5 to THR while promoting the Boss Baby. “It’s got a pretty big reinvention behind it that I guess I can’t really reveal, but since DreamWorks was sold to Universal in that time for over $3 billion, I imagine they’re particularly interested in it stepping up and actually figuring out the future of the franchise in that way on the corporate level.”
McCullers also co-wrote the last two films in the Austin Powers franchise with Mike Myers, so this will be his third collaboration with the actor.
While Shrek was revered for its unique, tongue-in-cheek take on fairy tales and Disney tropes, it has not been well received over the course of Shrek the Third and Shrek Ever After, not to mention the spinoff Puss In Boots.
“Reinvention was sort of called for,” McCullers said. “There’s been four movies and a lot of material, so the characters are pretty beloved and they’re great characters, but you also have to think of a pretty new take at that point.”
There’s no word on who or what the film will involve at this point, but you’d think it would have to include Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and Antonio Banderas. Those actors and their portrayals of Fiona, Donkey, and Puss In Boots have become just as integral to the franchise as Myers’ Shrek.
Hopefully we hear more in the coming months as the script continues to be developed for big screens.
MORE SHREK NEWS: Shrek 5 Being Scripted by Austin Powers Writer / Shrek 5 Reportedly Coming In 2019 / Shrek Movies To Be Revived
If Shrek 5 ends up being some sort of reboot, we hope it doesn’t join our list of Worst Remakes Ever. Click through the gallery to see what we think should have never been remade.
