‘Shrek 5' release date, plot: Reboot movie planned for the return of animated series?

Many moviegoers grew up watching the animated film franchise “Shrek” with its four main series installments released in almost a decade. It has also been more than nine years since the fourth movie was released, and it would not be surprising if the planned “Shrek 5” serves as a series reboot.

‘Shrek 5’ plot: Producer plans reboot with the original cast?

Having “Shrek 5” as a way to refresh the franchise will not surprising. Reboot movies have been popular in recent years with many of it seeing box office success like the critically-acclaimed “A Star Is Born” that premiered last year, “It” in 2017 that already had its sequel this year, and “The Jungle Book” in 2016.

Some of the reboot films maintain the main premise of the original movies, while others introduce an entirely new set of characters with different conflicts to resolve. There is not much known about the development of “Shrek 5,” so it is still unknown just how much of the series will be changed or maintained if the fifth movie ends up being a reboot.

It should be noted that “Despicable Me” producer Chris Meledandri, who has been assigned to lead the “Shrek 5” development, previously hinted at wanting to have a fresh take on the revival of the series. He did not elaborate on how that will change the plot, but Meledandri also implied at wanting to bring back the original cast.

‘Shrek 5’ release date: Movie premiere in 2020 is impossible

There is a drought on new updates on the making of “Shrek 5,” but at least fans know that the project is still on and Meledandri is taking the lead. It is understandable if avid fans are expecting more from the upcoming movie considering. Meledandri’s “Despicable Me” franchise, with three main title installments and a “Minion” spinoff, was so well-received that raked in more than $3.7 billion in the worldwide box office.

The “Shrek” series is already very successful with the main series reportedly earning over $1.2 billion in its 2001 to 2010 run. So fans should expect nothing less than a blockbuster return with Meledandri taking charge of the “Shrek 5” production.

There were earlier reports that the movie was slated to premiere in 2019 or 2020. However, that seems very unlikely now considering the changes in the production and the reports that Meledandri’s “Super Mario Bros.: The Movie” project will not be released until 2022.