"Shrek 5 Release Swapped with Minions 3, Delayed"

Universal Pictures has announced a strategic reshuffle in its release schedule, pushing back Shrek 5 to December 23, 2026, while advancing the Despicable Me spin-off, Minions 3, to fill its original slot on July 1, 2026. This move positions Minions 3 to capitalize on the lucrative Independence Day weekend, a tradition for the Despicable Me series. Meanwhile, Shrek 5 is set to launch during the 2026 holiday season, marking the first mainline release in the franchise in 16 years.

The journey of Shrek 5 has been eventful. Initially announced in 2016, the project went silent until 2023 when Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination, confirmed its active development alongside plans for a Donkey spin-off. Eddie Murphy, the voice behind Donkey, provided further updates, stating, "We started doing [Shrek 5] months ago. I did this, I recorded the first act, and we'll be doing it this year. We’ll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey's gonna have his own movie. We're gonna do Donkey as well."

As Shrek 5 gears up for release, it will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the franchise, which began with the original Shrek in 2001. The series continued with Shrek 2 in 2004, Shrek the Third in 2007, and Shrek Forever After in 2010.

The Shrek universe has also seen success with the Puss in Boots spin-offs. The first Puss in Boots film was released in 2011, followed by Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in 2022, which received critical acclaim, including a 9/10 from IGN. The review praised the film for its "stunning animation" and "poignant, surprisingly mature story," describing it as "the Shrek franchise's answer to Logan we didn't know we needed."