'Shrek 5' cast, production updates: New voice actress needed for Princess Fiona?

One of the lingering questions among animated film fans is whether or not “Shrek 5” will ever see the light of day. Following that inquiry, many fans might also be wondering whether actress Cameron Diaz is still on board with giving her voice to the character of Princess Fiona.

'Shrek 5' cast: Who is going to return for the fifth installment?

Diaz made headlines in 2018 after reportedly deciding to retire from her acting career. That could have meant that when the production of “Shrek 5” finally kicks off, DreamWorks might need to recast Princess Fiona.

However, note that the retirement report in 2018 originally came from Selma Blair who claimed that Diaz has retired and decided not to make a grand announcement about it. This makes sense considering that Diaz’s last acting credit was in 2014 for the movie “Annie.” Does this mean fans should start expecting Princess Fiona to have a different voice in “Shrek 5”?

In a recent interview for InStyle magazine’s anniversary issue, Diaz recalled being in the Hollywood spotlight for more than half her life and then implied that she could still do another project in the future. “If I decide to,” Diaz added. “I don’t miss performing.” In this case, maybe doing a voice acting job for “Shrek 5” is a good chance for her possible return.

‘Shrek 5’ update: Eddie Murphy’s return as Donkey confirmed

While Diaz has not yet made any direct comments about “Shrek 5,” Eddie Murphy have done so. The actor, who voices Shrek’s (Mike Myers) reliable sidekick named Donkey, made a statement in 2016 confirming that the script is done and the film was slated to premiere in 2019 or 2020. “They wrote a nice good script,” Murphy commented.

However, the latest update on “Shrek 5” surfaced less than a year ago from Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri. The film and animation studio is best known for the “Despicable Me,” and “Minions” franchise and is technically owned by NBCUniversal, which also acquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016.

Meledandri now appears to have taken the lead in making “Shrek 5” that is now slated to be some kind of a reboot or revival of the animated film series. Talking to Variety in 2018, Meledandri said he hopes to have the original cast reprise their roles.