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Plans Announced For Fifth Shrek Movie

Six years after we said goodbye to Mike Myers’ flatulent ogre and his colourful fairy tale world, it looks like we’re finally set to go back to the swamp.

NBC Universal are all set to buy Dreamworks Animation, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the first film on their agenda is ‘Shrek 5.’

This move would make Universal a strong competitor to Disney in the animated movie stakes, as Universal already own major animation house Illumination, makers of the ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Minions’ movies, plus the recent ‘The Secret Life of Pets.’

As well as ‘Shrek,’ Dreamworks Animation is also responsible for the ’Kung Fu Panda,’ ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Madagascar’ franchises.

NBC Universal are reportedly set to pay $3.8 billion for the company, with a pledge to release two Dreamworks Animation films a year – starting with ‘Shrek 5’ and ‘Shadows,’ a film from director Edgar Wright and writer David Walliams, both provisionally scheduled for 2019.

Founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg (now CEO of Universal), Dreamworks was initially launched as a new major studio, producing and distributing its own films independently – but the live-action wing was sold to Paramount in 2005.

Dreamworks Animation (whose films are currently distributed by 20th Century Fox) was an immediate rival to Disney’s Pixar, releasing the computer animated ‘Antz’ in 1998 – the same year as Pixar’s similarly-themed ‘A Bug’s Life.’

It is speculated that the move to Universal may see Illumination’s Chris Meledandri named the head of Dreamworks Animation, giving him a level of power and status to rival that of John Lasseter (head of both Disney Animation and Pixar).

Still, none of this – ‘Shrek 5’ included – will be made official until Universal’s ownership of Dreamworks Animation is finalised.

The four ‘Shrek’ movies and spin-off ‘Puss In Boots’ made over $3.51 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time. The 2001 original also won the first ever Best Animated Feature Academy Award, beating Pixar’s ‘Monsters Inc.’ and ‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.’

Picture Credit: Dreamworks

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