Shrek has been a staple of pop culture ever since the first movie’s debut in 2001, and it continued to make its mark when the arguably better Shrek 2 released three years later. But it seems like Dreamworks hasn’t been able to rekindle the fire they once had that struck the hearts of today’s young adults. The following two Shrek films were not as well received by critics or the general audience, and the Puss in Boots spinoff did not acclaim as much public attention as the studio was hoping for. While it would make sense to shut down the Shrek movies completely, Dreamworks still thinks there is potential to be had, which is why they’ve announced a full-fledged reboot of the Shrek franchise.

Regardless of what you think about Despicable Me movies, they have been more than commercially successful, which is why the man behind them, Chris Meledandri, has been tasked by Universal with helming the Shrek reboot. This move comes in the wake of Universal’s parent company, Comcast, purchasing Dreamworks back in 2016.

If you are upset over the idea of this, it won’t be too far removed from the originals because Meledandri is hoping to get the original voice cast of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and more back together.

“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. 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.”

With the original voice cast and the same characters, it’ll be interesting to see how they distinguish this new interpretation apart, whether it’s a new animation style or completely new stories. Meledandri had this to say about how they will approach the narrative of the Shrek reboot.

“There’s a tremendous amount of fun to be had in that world, but it’s a high bar to find a story that’s truly in the world. You want to find something in the narrative that really feels like a departure.”

It’s safe to assume that with this news, the previously announced Shrek 5 will no longer go into development. Other spinoffs like Puss in Boots are expected to return for this reboot as well.

Are you excited to see a whole new Shrek franchise, or do you think they should’ve stopped while they were ahead? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter at SuperBroMovies.

–Caleb Sadd

Source: Variety