It’s finally happening—26 years after the release of Shrek, DreamWorks Animation is releasing a solo Donkey film set for summer 2028.
Donkey, voiced by the iconic Eddie Murphy, is an integral character in the Shrek universe. Lord Farquaad wants to banish creatures like Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, and the Big Bad Wolf to Shrek’s swamp. By doing so, it would create a functioning human-only society. We learn that this mule speaks, and soon, he accompanies Shrek on all his adventures. He later falls in love with Dragon, and they have dragon-donkey hybrid babies.
Donkey, slated for release on June 30, 2028, is an origin story for the beloved animated character. We will finally learn how Donkey became Donkey. I’m not quite sure what that means, but if it gives us more hilarious quips from Eddie Murphy, I’m in. Puss in Boots has several spin-off films, so it’s only right that Shrek’s best friend gets his time to shine.
“Donkey‘s going to be like how Puss in Boots had his own movie, Donkey’s going to have his own movie, own little story with his dragon wife and his kids that are half-dragon and half-donkeys. They’ve written this funny story. We’re doing that, starting that in September,” Murphy told ScreenRant last summer.
DreamWorks Is Finally Giving Donkey His Own ‘Shrek’ Spinoff Movie
Donkey is being directed by Charlie Bean (The Lego Ninjago Movie, and the live-action Lady and the Tramp), co-directed by Matt Flynn—who worked on The Wild Robot, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish—and produced by Rebecca Huntley (Kung Fu Panda 4 and The Bad Guys).
While Donkey isn’t releasing until 2028, fans can take another dip in Shrek’s swamp when it opens back up in 2027 for the fifth installment in the franchise. Shrek became a global hit, taking in over $500 million globally and earning a first-ever Oscar nomination for an animated film.
Three sequels followed: Shrek 2 in 2004, Shrek 3 in 2007, and Shrek Forever After in 2010. Mike Myers, Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are returning to voice their iconic characters, Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona, respectively. Zendaya, Marcello Hernández, and Skyler Gisondo are joining the cast as Shrek and Fiona’s now-grown children.
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