Eddie Murphy is more than ready to reprise Donkey in a fifth “Shrek” movie or a Donkey-centric spinoff. So far, only Antonio Banderas’ Puss in Boots has gotten the “Shrek” spinoff treatment with 2011’s “Puss in Boots” and 2022’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” According to Murphy, Donkey is far funnier and more worthy of the spinoff treatment than Puss.
“I’d absolutely be open if they ever came with another ‘Shrek,’ I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey,” Murphy told ETalk in a recent interview. “You know, they did ‘Puss in Boots’ movies. I was like, ‘They should have did a Donkey movie. Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey.”
Murphy continued, “I would do a Donkey movie. I would do another ‘Shrek’ in two seconds.”
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When ETalk said Murphy needs to “pull some strings” to get a Donkey movie off the ground, the comedian responded, “That’s Dreamworks Animation. They have to want to do it. Dreamworks, if you all want to do it, just call me. I’m ready, I’m sitting and ready to do Donkey.”
The “Shrek” franchise released four feature films between 2001 and 2010. The original “Shrek” turned DreamWorks Animation into a powerhouse studio with its $487 million worldwide gross. The movie became the first Oscar winner in the animated feature category. “Shrek 2” grossed $928 million. Both films competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. While “Shrek the Third” and “Shrek Forever After” earned less acclaim than the first two movies, they still managed to gross $813 million and $752 million worldwide.
As Variety reported in 2018, Universal tasked Illumination founder Chris Meledandri with overseeing a revival of the studio’s “Shrek” and “Puss in Boots” franchises. The animation guru was adamant at the time about not messing with with the franchise’s vocal performances, which he credited as being key to the “Shrek” films’ success. The franchise starred Mike Myers, Murphy and Cameron Diaz.
“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,” Meledandri said. “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.”
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” has grossed over $100 million at the domestic box office, proving there’s still a lot of interest in the “Shrek” universe. Myers has already said that he’d do one “Shrek” movie a year if possible, so consider him in on a fifth “Shrek” movie as well.
