Shrek is coming back! And where have all the cast members been? 

Recently Dreamworks announced that Shrek 5 is in the works with all of the original cast members returning. While not much is yet known about the film, many are surprised and some excited about the return of the beloved character. 

Shrek was released in 2001 and was DreamWorks first smash success and the first movie to win an Academy Award in the “animated picture” category. Shrek 2 made close to a billion dollars in theaters and enjoyed the same or more critical acclaim to the first movie. From there the franchise released two more films which were less well received but still major successes by any measure. 2010 was the last official Shrek installment, though the Puss in Boots character had his own successful franchise starring Antonio Banderas. 

In the 23 years since Shrek came into our lives, the character and films have only become more iconic but since their last 2010 film the voice actors have largely fallen off the radar screen. 

Here’s what the stars of Shrek have been up to since we last saw the swamp in 2010: 

Mike Myers (Shrek) 

Mike Myers was at the height of his career popularity when he was cast as Shrek. The second in the Austin Powers franchise, The Spy who Shagged Me had just come out with great success solidifying Meyers as one of the times most prominent comedians. 

Since Shrek: Forever After in 2010, Myers has worked some but mainly kept to Shrek related projects with few variations. Shrek will be Myers first credit since the film Amsterdam in 2022 where he played Paul Canterbury. Even without much recent work, including Shrek, Myers led three different hit franchises which is an incredible feat for any actor’s career (Wayne’s World and Austin Powers). It’ll be a treat for a true movie star to return to the screen – at least in voice.

Cameron Diaz (Fiona) 

Cameron Diaz was also cast as Fiona in the height of her fame. She had just come off the extremely successful Charlie’s Angels 2000 film adaptation and during the course of the Shrek franchise starred in classics like Gangs of New York and The Holiday. 

While Diaz enjoyed plenty of success in her post-Shrek career, Cameron Diaz hasn’t had a credit since 2014 (Annie) and she actually announced her retirement from Hollywood in 2018. Her return to the screen will not be in Shrek 5 but instead in a Netflix action/comedy aptly titled Back in Action which will star her opposite Jamie Foxx as former CIA agents pulled…well..back into the action. Her triumphant return will hit streaming in the holiday season in 2024. It’s fitting that her first film back is with the same co-star of her last film before retirement and that her return to the big screen will be to voice Fiona who is one of Diaz’s most iconic characters. 

Since 2014, outside of acting Diaz has created a wine brand, Avaline, which is all organic and sugar free. 

Eddie Murphy (Donkey) 

When Eddie Murphy was cast as Donkey he had not only had an illustrious comedy career but also had already been a major success voicing an animal in an animated film (Mushu the dragon in Disney’s hit, Mulan). During his time with Shrek, Murphy had a stunning career with loads of credits including multiple franchises. But in 2011, Murphy was caught up in the LGBT mafia’s rise to power and he was canceled in Hollywood for standing up for his friend who made a rude comment (Brett Ratner said “rehearsing is for f*gs” as a joke in an interview). Despite apologizing, Ratner was bullied out of producing the Academy Awards that year which caused Murphy, who was slated to host, to also quit. From there he had nothing but false starts and it’s hard to not see clearly what happened to him. He’d picked the wrong side in the power struggle. He was shunned. 

In very recent years, Murphy has managed to make a comeback with multiple streaming credits since 2021 including a Netflix produced Christmas film, Candy Cane Lane. Shrek 5 will be a welcome comeback to the big screen for the legendary comedian.