Okay, so “Shrek 5” won’t hit theaters until December 2026, but given this casting news, it’s automatically one of next year’s most anticipated movies. THR reports that Zendaya joins Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy on the voice cast for the upcoming animated film. It’s the first installment in the “Shrek” franchise since “Shrek: Forever After” hit theaters in 2010.
READ MORE: ‘Shrek 5’: A New Sequel Is In Development With The Original Cast Expected To Return
Dreamworks has a new teaser to view to hype up the buzzy cast addition, which you can check out below. And, yeah, it’s Zendaya, who’s arguably the biggest young A-list actress working in Hollywood today, so consider this franchise rejuvenated. Zendaya adds “Shrek 5” to a list of upcoming projects that also includes A24 pic “The Drama” opposite Robert Pattinson, Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey,” and “Dune: Messiah.” Oh yeah, and then there’s “Spider-Man 4” in July 2026 with her boyfriend Tom Holland and “Euphoria” Season 3, hitting HBO next year, too. So let’s officially call 2026 “The Year Of Zendaya” (as if she hasn’t already achieved that status already).
“Shrek” series alum Walt Dohrn co-directs “Shrek 5” with Brad Ableson. Dohrn’s previous “Shrek” credits include artist and writer and the 2004 sequel and the third film from 2007, as well as a Head Of Story credit for “Shrek: Forever After.” Previous directing credits for the pair include the “Trolls” franchise for Dorhn and “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” for Ableson. Gina Shay produces “Shrek 5” alongside Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri.
There’s no official synopsis or storyline yet for “Shrek 5,” but Dreamworks has plenty of time to sort that, as Universal Pictures won’t have the film in theaters until December 23, 2026. But with the Zendaya casting, both Dreamworks and Universe hope that the first franchise installment in 16 years will be a box-office juggernaut. The series has made $2.9 billion worldwide over four films (not counting the two “Puss in Boots” films), so expect the numbers goal for this one to be very high.
