Donkey spinoff set for 2028, a year after Shrek 5

Despite confirmation that Shrek 5 entered production in 2024, the franchise only received an official teaser this year. Universal has set the fifth film for release on June 30, 2027, 17 years after 2010's Shrek Forever After. Universal Pictures announced Thursday that Donkey, a film focused on Eddie Murphy's Shrek sidekick, will arrive in 2028.

Murphy teased the spinoff in 2025 while doing press for The Pickup. Charlie Bean will direct — he previously directed The Lego Batman Movie and the live-action Lady and the Tramp — with Matt Flyn co-directing and Rebecca Huntley producing. Donkey is billed as an origin story that asks, "How did a donkey become Donkey?" Universal and DreamWorks have set a June 30, 2028 release, which would place the spinoff exactly one year after Shrek 5 if no delays occur.

This will not be the franchise's first spinoff: Puss in Boots arrived in 2011 and was followed by the critically acclaimed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in 2022.

donkey, shrek, shrek 5, eddie murphy, universal pictures, dreamworks, charlie bean, matt flyn, rebecca huntley, june 30