After four big-screen installments, it looks like the Shrek franchise may finally be put to rest … for now. USA Today has unveiled a first look at Shrek Forever After, the fourth (and final?) big-screen Shrek sequel. While all those involved say this Shrek film is the last (hence the title), a spin-off movie starring Puss in Boots is already in the works, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a holiday special or two pop up over the next few years. Plus, hey, it’s a mega lucrative franchise – so look for DreamWorks to take a break and then maybe re-invent the green ogre in some way, shape or form.
For the time being, though, this is our final farewell to Shrek, and the film – due out on May 21st – promises a whole bunch of fun, new stuff, including 3D. The film, according to USA Today, is being described as the Brothers Grimm meets It’s a Wonderful Life. In it, we’ll meet a Shrek who “lost his roar” and instead of scaring villagers, they’re now asking him to sign autographs. So, he strikes a deal with the villainous Rumpelstiltskin and, as such, must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed.
Kathy Griffin and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm will be among the brand new voices in the cast, and we’ll all get a taste of the final Shrek adventure when the first trailer arrives in theaters on December 18th alongside James Cameron’s Avatar.
