The Donkey spin-off movie has its release date. Eddie Murphy is officially back voicing the beloved, four-legged companion to Mike Myers' ogre Shrek, but he's not just returning for the upcoming Shrek 5. He'll also be taking us all the way back to Donkey's origin story, in the Donkey standalone movie set for release on the 30th of June, 2028.
That gives us more than two years to wait until we see Donkey's origin, but it will be a unique one to say the least. Via Variety, the movie serves as a story of how a donkey became Donkey, the character we all know and love. From the original Shrek movie, we know that Donkey's owner gave him away after he started talking, becoming an annoying pet to have. It's unknown whether that's still going to be canon, or whether we'll focus on a different story in Donkey's origin.
Shrek spin-off movies have proven to be successful before. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is still a highly praised animated feature, and while we doubt we'll see Donkey facing off against death in his own film, it's sure to drive interest from Shrek fans the world over.
Donkey is being directed by Charlie Bean, produced by Rebecca Huntley, and co-directed by DreamWorks veteran Matt Flynn. All three have worked on plenty of big animated features before, with a heavy focus on comedy.