Sorry, You Probably Won't See the 'Shrek' Reboot This Year

In 2001, DreamWorks Animation dropped an unexpected success with the film Shrek. Following an ogre looking to reclaim his swamp from the hordes of fairy tale creatures who have been forced into it, Shrek finds unlikely love and a happily ever after he never expected.

The film premiered 20 years ago now, with three sequels and a spinoff following in its wake. But there has also long been talk of a reboot. Is Shrek getting a reboot anytime soon?

There have been talks of rebooting the famous franchise for years, starting as early as 2016 when Comcast bought DreamWorks Animation. The news that there would definitely be a reboot broke in late 2018, with rumors circulating that the film would hit theaters by 2019 or 2020.

Unfortunately, there is currently no news as to when exactly the reboot will be debuting. The official IMDb page currently doesn't have any actors connected with it or a release date, though it claims the film is "in development."

Michael McCullers, who wrote the screenplay, and Christopher Meledandri, who is set to lead the project, have not commented on the film in the last year.

This point seems to cause a bit of confusion. For a time, there was an IMDb page for a fifth Shrek movie, with a release date of 2019 — but obviously, the movie never premiered.

It's been more than 10 years since the most recent installment in the Shrek franchise, Shrek Forever After, was released, which has left many confused as to why the creators would choose to revisit the franchise after so many years.

According to ScreenRant, most of the franchise's villains (Lord Farquaad, Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, and more) will not be returning to the film, though its core cast members are set to reprise their roles.

Eddie Murphy, who voiced Donkey, previously confirmed that there was a script written for the new movie but could not provide a clear answer about when it would be released.

“When you look back on those vocal performances, they’re awesome, and while you certainly could make a case for a complete reinvention, I find myself responding to my own nostalgic feelings of wanting to go back to those characterizations,” Chris Meledandri, who created Despicable Me, told Variety when news of the reboot dropped. “The challenge for us has been to find something that really does feel like it’s not simply yet another film in a series of sequels.”

It sounds like it will be a new tale featuring our favorite cast of characters, though it's unclear what exactly the movie will be about.

The Shrek franchise also includes the spinoff movie, Puss in Boots, which follows the titular talking, sword fighting cat. It was released in 2011. That movie is also reportedly getting a reboot sometime in the future, though no news about it has been shared recently.