'Shrek' Could be Resurrected When Comcast Acquires DreamWorks Animation

‘Shrek 2′ (DreamWorks)

By Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter

Could more Shrek movies be coming from DreamWorks Animation after it is acquired by Comcast’s NBCUniversal? Possibly, based on comments NBCU chief executive Steve Burke made Tuesday at the Guggenheim TMT Symposium in New York.

Related: NBCUniversal to Acquire DreamWorks Animation in $3.8B Deal

NBCU has agreed to pay $3.8 billion for DreamWorks Animation, and Chris Meledandri of Illumination Entertainment, its partner in the Despicable Me film franchise, will get creative control.

“He is creatively going to try to help us figure out how to resurrect Shrek,” Burke said of Meledandri on Tuesday.

The original Shrek, starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy, debuted in 2001 and earned $484.4 million worldwide. Shrek 2 followed three years later and made $920 million, followed by Shrek the Third in 2007 ($799 million), and Shrek Forever After in 2010 ($753 million).

Related: Listen to Chris Farley Voice Shrek in 1997: “A Humble, Bumbling Innocent Guy”

The Puss in Boots movie also sprang from Shrek, as did TV specials Shrek the Halls and Scared Shrekless.

The goal of Comcast and NBCU with their impending acquisition of DreamWorks Animation is not only to make kid-friendly movies but also to beef up the presence of that studio’s popular characters in theme parks and on store shelves. The acquisition, Burke said, “advances our consumer products agenda by five years.”

Eventually, DreamWorks Animation could double its output to four films annually, Burke suggested on Tuesday.

‘Shrek’: Watch the trailer: