Shrek 5 is officially in the works with the original cast 'in talks' to return

This was not on our 2023 bingo cards.

It's official, the swamp is coming back.

13 years after the last Shrek film, the series is officially making a comeback with confirmation that Shrek 5 is on its way.

The last time we saw a film from the series was in 2010, with Shrek 4, known as Shrek Forever After.

Chris Melandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, confirmed in an interview with Variety that the series is making a comeback with an 'anticipated' return of the original cast.

"We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we've gotten is there's tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return," he said.

The film would see Mike Myers reprise his role as Shrek, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, and Eddie Murphy as Donkey which already sends us right back to our childhood.

Not only have we got a fifth Shrek film to look forward to, but we may also be seeing a spinoff film about Donkey.

Last year saw the release of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a second spinoff film about Antonio Banderas' iconic character.

Melandri suggested after the success of the film, Shrek's iconic sidekick deserves his own spin-off film which Eddie Murphy, the voice of Donkey, threw his support behind.

Murphy shared his enthusiasm for a spinoff adventure film about his character, claiming he's funnier than Puss in Boots.

'They should have done a Donkey movie,' he said.

"Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain't funny as the Donkey".

Honestly, we have to agree.

He also shared his enthusiasm for the release of a fifth Shrek film, explaining that he would jump at the opportunity.

"If they ever came with another Shrek, I'd do it in two seconds. I love Donkey" he shared.

After hearing Murphy's comments, Melandri said it would be 'no question' that a Donkey film would be a success, saying Murphy's comments were 'very exciting'.

"It's evidence of his strong enthusiasm for a role that he so brilliantly inhabited and really created alongside the artists at DreamWorks," he said.

The first Shrek film was released back in 2001 and was a huge success, taking home an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

While it seems that the cast is not confirmed as yet, from the sounds of it, it seems that they are all keen on the exciting return of the series.

After Barbie movie posters dropped this morning and now we've received confirmation that Shrek 5 is on its way, it's fair to say that our inner child is losing their sh*t.