Somebody once told me the world was gonna roll ahead with a Shrek reboot. Now, that prophecy has come to fruition, with confirmation that Universal Pictures will overhaul the beloved animated film series for a new, ogre-loving generation.
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Speaking to Variety, Illumination Entertainment head honcho Chris Meledandri said he has been tasked with rebooting the franchise, which sold Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz to an adoring audience of kids way back in 2001.
It makes sense, given the original film is almost old enough to buy a beer, but Meledandri said he’s dead keen on retaining the most crucial element of the entire saga: the voice talent of the movie’s original stars.
“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.
Speculation about a fifth standalone Shrek film has built for years. In 2016, Murphy revealed that a script for a potential Shrek 5 had already been completed.
However, Meledandri said he was keen to establish a clear break between the original saga and his reinvention, even if he does retain the original voice actors.
“You want to find something in the narrative that really feels like a departure,” he said.
Meledrandri, who jetpacked to success after overseeing Despicable Me and the spin-off Minions series, also dropped a pinch of information regarding his involvement on the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie.
“The challenge is taking things that are so thin in their original form and finding depth that doesn’t compromise what generations of fans love about Mario“, Meledandri said.
That’s the exact opposite problem to Shrek, which was adapted from books by William Steig, and which draws from centuries of folk and fairy tales. Expect to see how the crew handles the new saga in the next couple of years.
