DreamWorks Announces Donkey Spinoff for June 30 2028

DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures have officially announced a new spinoff film centered on Donkey, the wisecracking sidekick from the Shrek franchise, with a theatrical release set for June 30, 2028. Eddie Murphy will reprise his iconic voice role for the project, which is confirmed to be an origin story prequel exploring how a donkey became the talking character known as Donkey.

The film, simply titled Donkey, will be directed by Charlie Bean, known for The Lego Ninjago Movie and the live-action Lady and the Tramp. He will be co-directing with veteran DreamWorks story artist Matt Flynn, whose credits include The Wild Robot and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Rebecca Huntley, a producer on Kung Fu Panda 4, will produce.

This announcement solidifies the expansion of the long-running Shrek universe, which has generated over $3.5 billion globally across four main films and two Puss in Boots spinoffs. The Donkey project was first discussed publicly by Murphy last year. In an interview, the actor said Donkey would have his own story involving his dragon wife and their hybrid children, indicating the film would explore the character's established family life.