DreamWorks Announces Standalone ‘Donkey’ Spinoff

Happily Ever After Again: DreamWorks Announces Standalone ‘Donkey’ Spinoff on Heels of ‘Shrek 5’ Progress

LOS ANGELES — The wildly lucrative Shrek cinematic universe is officially expanding its borders, with DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures locking in a highly anticipated standalone spinoff film centered entirely on Donkey.

The official announcement, confirmed by studio executives outlines an aggressive multi-year strategy to capitalise on one of Hollywood's most enduring and financially bulletproof intellectual properties.

Simply titled Donkey, the standalone feature film has been handed a prime theatrical summer release window of 30th June 2028. The project will serve as a direct expansion of the fairytale kingdom of Far Far Away, rolling out exactly 12 months after the green ogre himself makes his long-awaited cinematic return in Shrek 5, which is currently scheduled to take over global multiplexes on 30th June 2027.

An Unlikely Origin Story

Hollywood veteran Eddie Murphy is officially locked in to reprise his iconic, fast-talking vocal performance as the noble, waffle-loving steed.

Rather than functioning as a standard chronological sequel to the main franchise, the 2028 spinoff is being constructed as a comprehensive origin story. The narrative blueprint will systematically explore how the character originally navigated his early life and transformed into the fiercely loyal, wisecracking companion audiences first encountered chained up in a fairytale market 25 years ago.

To steer the character's solo debut, Universal has recruited The Lego Ninjago Movie director Charlie Bean, with Rebecca Huntley (The Bad Guys) attached to produce. Matt Flynn, fresh from his acclaimed story work on The Wild Robot and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, has signed on as co-director.

The Road to ‘Shrek 5’

The greenlit production comes at a time of immense creative momentum for the franchise. Murphy recently revealed to entertainment journalists that work on Shrek 5 has been moving at an exceptional pace behind closed doors, with the legendary voice cast already well into their recording sessions.

"We started doing Shrek 5 months ago," Murphy confirmed during a promotional press junket. "I recorded the first act, and we're doing it this year, we're finishing it up. Shrek is coming out, and then Donkey's getting his own movie."

Shrek 5 is being helmed by franchise veterans Conrad Vernon and Walt Dohrn from a screenplay by Michael McCullers (The Boss Baby). The core comedic triumvirate of Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), and Murphy are all fully on board, alongside a highly publicised new casting addition in global superstar Zendaya, who joins the ensemble in an undisclosed role.

The Expanding Chronology of the 'Shrek' Cinematic Universe

A Multillion-Pound Empire

The double-pronged theatrical strategy makes absolute commercial sense for Universal Pictures. Launched with the historic, Oscar-winning original film in 2001, the four primary Shrek features alongside the two highly successful Puss in Boots offshoots have collectively grossed more than £3.1 billion ($4 billion) at the global box office.

The decision to grant Donkey his own theatrical vehicle was heavily catalyzed by the spectacular critical and commercial success of 2022's Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. That film’s sophisticated, slightly darker visual aesthetic and mature themes proved that modern family audiences possess a massive, renewed appetite for the property.

Insiders suggest that early concept art leaked for the Donkey spinoff hints at a similarly refined, high-concept visual identity. With the corporate machinery fully aligned and the scripts officially locked down, DreamWorks is positioned to completely dominate the late-2020s animation landscape—proving that there is still plenty of mileage left in Hollywood's favourite swamp.