Shrek 5 release date accidentally leaked by employee

An employee of NBCUniversal entered the swamp without Shrek's permission after reportedly leaking the release date of the highly anticipated Shrek 5.

The original Shrek from 2001 was a smash hit as the Academy Award-winning film grossed a whopping $491.8 million (£389.38 million) against a $60 million (£48.9 million) budget.

Three more films followed suit, with the last one - Shrek Forever After - coming out in 2010.

But we've known about the fifth instalment since 2017, after screenwriter Michael McCullers told The Hollywood Reporter that a new film is in the works.

"Shrek 5 is being developed," he said. "I finished that script, which I really, really, really love.

"It's really personal to me. It's got a pretty big reinvention behind it that I guess I can't reveal."

And in April this year, Illumination Entertainment founder and CEO Chris Meledandri went one step further by opening up about the expectations for the upcoming film's cast.

DreamWorks

Meledandri draw parallels with the Mario franchise, and explained that if you look at 'what the core elements are that audiences have loved' about a franchise, you 'do your very best to honour those core elements'.

He told Variety: "And then you’re hard at work to build story elements and new characters that take you to brand new places. The original cast is a huge part of that.

"We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return."

Many members of the original cast have spoken out publicly in support of another Shrek film, and are eager to return.

In an interview with Etalk, Eddie Murphy (Donkey) stated he'd 'do another Shrek in two seconds'.

Last year, Mike Myers (Shrek) also told GQ: "If I had to do one Shrek a year I’d be thrilled."

Banderas (Puss in Boots) also told Deadline in December: "The first time I did Puss In Boots, I was working on Broadway, so I did my first session there. I’ve done five movies now.

"There is probably gonna be another, and Shrek is probably coming back."

DreamWorks

Now, it seems that an employee of NBCUniversal woke up this morning and chose chaos after they reportedly, perhaps accidentally, leaked the release date of the new film.

Taking to their official LinkedIn page, it's being reported that the employee listed a 2025 release date for Shrek 5, then quickly deleted it.

Although we might have to wait a year for the new film, will a 15-year-hiatus from the big-screen prove to be a potential issue for Shrek fans?

Personally, I'm making Waffles!

LADbible has contacted NBCUniversal for comment.