Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination studio and creative partner of DreamWorks Animation, talked about the plans for the future. In addition to The Super Mario Bros. Movie / “Super Mario Brothers”, which will be released worldwide on April 5, other projects are also in the works.
Yes, there are plans to reboot the Shrek franchise. Meledandri wants to bring the original cast, which includes Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy, to the new Shrek 5 movie. Although no deals have been finalized yet, he said talks with the actors are going well.
And Meledandri has every reason to be optimistic. Following the success of the 2022 Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish, Murphy said he would be happy to take on a new project if DreamWorks ever gets around to making a new Shrek. He also urged the company to make a movie about the Osley character because he is funnier than Puss in Boots.
Chris Meledandri also revealed that Donkey is a character that could get his own movie.
In an interview with Variety, Meledandri also hinted at other animation projects that Illumination is preparing. The studio is looking for an opportunity to return to the world of pets.
“We’re developing a couple of scenarios in the world of The Secret Life of Pets,” he said. “While we’re not ready to start a movie yet, we’re continuing to grow in this franchise.”
At the same time, there are several stories in development at once.
In addition, Meledandri is “deep in development” on the movie “Sing 3” / “Zveropai 3”. According to the plan, the new film will involve characters from the original cast, “but it will take us to a new world.”
Active work on the film Migration continues. This is an original story about a family of ducks at odds. With the weather warming up, the father of the family wants to stay safe and comfortable in his New England pond, while the wife wants them to explore the wider world. The author of the script was the creator of “White Lotus” Mike White, and the director was Benjamin Renner.
Finally, Illumination has teamed up with Pierre Coffin, writer and director of the Despicable Me films, and is working on two short-form series. They will premiere in May on TikTok, and then they will appear on YouTube. The series Who’s Who takes place in the world of minions. The Bones Story series tells an original story.
Source: variety
