'Shrek' to be rebooted by makers of 'Despicable Me', with original cast hoped to return

The ogre is back… Shrek is to be rebooted by the makers of the Despicable Me movies.

Chris Meladandri, the man behind Illumination Entertainment, and Universal Pictures are to reinvigorate the animated franchise, which introduced the fairytale ogre and a host of other household name characters.

Meladandri, who’s also made movies like The Secret Life of Pets, Sing and Despicable Me spin-off Minions, says he also wants to make sure he brings the old cast back together.

Mike Myers famously voiced the grumpy, Scots ogre, alongside Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona and Antonio Banderas as Puss In Boots.

“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 told Variety.

“The challenge for us has been to find something that really does feel like it’s not simply yet another film in a series of sequels.

“There’s a tremendous amount of fun to be had in that world, but it’s a high bar to find a story that’s truly world.

“You want to find something in the narrative that really feels like a departure.”

The original movies were made by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks studio, and comprised Shrek in 2001, Shrek 2 in 2004, Shrek the Third in 2007 and Shrek Forever After in 2010.

In all, they grossing nearly $3 billion.

A Puss In Boots spin-off also arrived in 2011, and there are plans to reboot that too, according to the report.

Read more
Tom Hanks promises emotional ending to Toy Story 4
Michael Douglas gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Cameras roll on Deadwood movie