Eddie Murphy gets his own “Donkey” movie, in case you ever wondered where “Shrek”'s Donkey came from
Eddie Murphy gets his own “Donkey” movie, in case you ever wondered where “Shrek”'s Donkey came from
Wesley StenzelThu, June 25, 2026 at 7:57 PM UTC
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Eddie Murphy in 2023; Donkey in 'Shrek 2'Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; DreamWorks/ EverettKey points -
Eddie Murphy will return to voice Donkey in Donkey, an origin story about Shrek's Donkey.
The film will hit theaters June 30, 2028.
Murphy will also appear in Shrek 5.
Eddie Murphy is ready to show his ass to the world once again.
The actor and comedian will reprise his role as Donkey in the Shrekspinoff Donkey, described in an official logline as "the origin story of how a donkey became Donkey."
The DreamWorks Animation film is set to hit theaters on June 30, 2028, exactly one year after the Shrek franchise returns with Shrek 5 on June 30, 2027. The 2028 release date will put Donkey face-to-face with Paramount's live-action Call of Duty movie, which is due to bow on the same day. (We can already see the headlines: "Donkey kicks Call of Duty's ass at the weekend box office," unless gamers prove to be more powerful than children and nostalgia-driven millennials in two years' time.)
Donkey and Shrek in 'Shrek 5'Credit: Universal Pictures
Donkey will be directed by Charlie Bean, who previously helmed The Lego Ninjago Movie and Disney's live-action Lady and the Tramp. Matt Flynn, who worked as a story artist on The Wild Robot and a storyboard artist on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, will serve as co-director, while Rebecca Huntley, whose previous credits include Kung Fu Panda 4 and The Bad Guys, will produce.
Details of Donkey's origin have long eluded Shrek fanatics, as his character is introduced at the beginning of the series' first film without much backstory to speak of. His first scene shows a human woman selling him to Duloc officials, but there's no further acknowledgement of his relationship with the woman. Were they ever friends? Or something more? (Inter-species romance could theoretically be on the table, as Donkey eventually ends up entangled with a dragon… and inexplicably producing ungodly offspring.)
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Fans have speculated that Donkey may be able to speak because he's actually a former human who was transformed into a donkey like the children on Pleasure Island in Pinocchio — but that cryptic logline "how a donkey became Donkey" suggests that his story begins as an ordinary animal, not a cursed human.
Murphy made his debut as Donkey in 2001's Shrek, the smash hit that launched a massive franchise and won the inaugural Oscar for Best Animated Feature. He reprised the role in 2004's Shrek 2, 2007's Shrek the Third, and 2010's Shrek Forever After. He did not appear in the Puss in Boots spinoffs centering on Antonio Banderas' feline swordsman, though Donkey did briefly show up in a non-speaking cameo in 2022's Puss in Boots:The Last Wish.
Eddie Murphy at an AFI tribute in April 2026Credit: Ser Baffo/Netflix
The Coming to America and Beverly Hills Cop star will play Donkey once more in Shrek 5, which will also see Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz return as Shrek and Fiona. Zendaya, Marcello Hernandez, and Skyler Gisondo will portray the children of the central ogre couple.
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Murphy previously expressed his interest in a Donkey spinoff after The Last Wish's success. "I was like, 'They should have done a Donkey movie,'" he told ETalk in 2023. "Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain't funny as the Donkey."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
