Puss in Boots: The Last Wish star Antonio Banderas recently suggested it's only a matter of time before the popular ogre, Shrek, makes his big-screen comeback.
Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival where his soon-to-be-released movie, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, was screened, Banderas teased a potential new Shrek film. "I've been with this cat for almost 20 years," he said. "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."
Puss in Boots
A fifth Shrek film was announced back in 2016 and originally set for a 2019 release. However, news about a possible Shrek 5 movie quietened since then, with no potential production or casting details being announced.
Banderas first played Puss in Boots in Shrek 2, which was released in 2004 and saw Puss become one of the Ogre's partners and helpers in the movie, competing with Donkey. He returned for Shrek the Third, in which Puss in Boots teams with Shrek to retrieve the heir to the throne of Far, Far Away. The character, inspired by the fairy tale of the same name, also appeared in Shrek Forever After before getting a spinoff film series which started with the 2011 effort, Puss in Boots.
The Shrek franchise became a pop culture phenomenon and a box office smash throughout the 2000s. Featuring Mike Myers as the titular character, Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona) and Conrad Vernon (Gingerbread Man), the original Shrek film grossed over $487 million worldwide. Shrek 2 netted $813.4 million at the global box office while Shrek the Third proved to be the most successful installment, garnering $928.7 million in ticket sales. Shrek Forever After, the most recent edition of the film series released in 2010, raked in more than $752 million worldwide.
In Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Puss notices that his penchant for adventure has finally taken its toll, using up eight of his nine lives. The film focuses on his path towards finding the mythical Last Wish to try and restore his nine lives. Directed by Joel Crawford and produced by Mark Swift, the movie sees Banderas star alongside Salma Hayek (Kitty), Florence Pugh (Goldilocks), Olivia Colman (Mama Bear) and Harvey Guillen (Perro).
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish premieres in theaters on Dec. 21.
Source: Deadline