“Me! Me! Oh, oh pick me,” says Eddie Murphy. The actor, who voiced the lovable, fast-talking Donkey in Dreamworks’ 2001 animated sensation Shrek and its sequels, is ready for more ogre-tales.
Murphy, 61, said he would “absolutely be open” to Shrek 5, and is actually surprised Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) got a spinoff franchise before Donkey did. (Puss in Boots was released in 2011, with its 2022 sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, recently earning an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.)
“If they ever came [to me] with another Shrek I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey,” Murphy told CTV’s eTalk while promoting his new Netflix film You People. “The Puss in Boots movies, they should’ve done a Donkey movie. Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. Why? Why? I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as a Donkey.”
He reiterated, “No, I would do a Donkey movie, I would do another Shrek in two seconds.”
Murphy said Dreamworks Animation is the one who has to make the call, but until they do, he’ll be “sitting and ready to do Donkey.”
Donkey is the heart and soul of the Shrek franchise.
Shrek was a massive box office hit when it debuted 22 years ago, earning nearly $500 million worldwide. The big green ogre, voiced by Mike Myers, became a pop culture sensation and spawned sequels including Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, and holiday special Shrek the Halls. There has not been a Shrek-focused movie since 2010, but Antonio Banderas, aka Puss in Boots, did give fans a little bit hope when he teased to Deadline, “[Shrek] is probably coming back.”
As for Myers, he, like Murphy, would return in a heartbeat. The actor told GQ last year that the animated character certainly has layers he would love to continue to peel back.
“There’s an emotional center there,” Myers said. “The concept of going from a self-loathing ogre to a self-accepting ogre was meaningful to me. I love playing Shrek. If I had to do one ‘Shrek’ a year, I’d be thrilled.”
Cameron Diaz, who voices Princess Fiona, has pretty much retired from acting. But in a touching tribute to her character in the Official Dreamworks Animation Opus Premiere Anniversary Edition, she writes, “I originally was drawn to Fiona’s quest for self-love and acceptance, and ultimately we went on that adventure together. It is so rare to be with a character for a span of four films and to be able to see a character grow. To be a part of her journey has been such a gift.”
Perhaps Diaz would return for even more animated exploration. Dreamworks, make this happen!
