Murphy will voice Donkey in “the origin story of how a donkey became Donkey.”

Eddie Murphy gets his own Donkey movie, in case you ever wondered where Shrek’s Donkey came from

Murphy will voice Donkey in "the origin story of how a donkey became Donkey."

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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June 25, 2026 3:57 p.m. ET

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Eddie Murphy in 2023; Donkey in 'Shrek 2'. Credit:

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; DreamWorks/ Everett

- Eddie Murphy will return to voice Donkey in *Donkey*, an origin story about *Shrek*'s Donkey.

- The film will hit theaters June 30, 2028.

- Murphy will also appear in *Shrek 5*.

Eddie Murphy is ready to show his ass to the world once again.

The actor and comedian will reprise his role as Donkey in the *Shrek** *spinoff *Donkey*, described in an official logline as "the origin story of how a donkey became Donkey."

The DreamWorks Animation film is set to hit theaters on June 30, 2028, exactly one year after the *Shrek* franchise returns with *Shrek 5* on June 30, 2027. The 2028 release date will put *Donkey* face-to-face with Paramount's live-action *Call of Duty* movie, which is due to bow on the same day. (We can already see the headlines: "*Donkey* kicks *Call of Duty*'s ass at the weekend box office," unless gamers prove to be more powerful than children and nostalgia-driven millennials in two years' time.)

Donkey and Shrek in 'Shrek 5'.

Universal Pictures

*Donkey* will be directed by Charlie Bean, who previously helmed *The Lego Ninjago Movie* and Disney's live-action *Lady and the Tramp*. Matt Flynn, who worked as a story artist on *The Wild Robot* and a storyboard artist on *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish*, will serve as co-director, while Rebecca Huntley, whose previous credits include *Kung Fu Panda 4* and *The Bad Guys*, will produce.

Details of Donkey's origin have long eluded *Shrek* fanatics, as his character is introduced at the beginning of the series' first film without much backstory to speak of. His first scene shows a human woman selling him to Duloc officials, but there's no further acknowledgement of his relationship with the woman. Were they ever friends? Or something more? (Inter-species romance could theoretically be on the table, as Donkey eventually ends up entangled with a dragon… and inexplicably producing ungodly offspring.)

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Fans have speculated that Donkey may be able to speak because he's actually a former human who was transformed into a donkey like the children on Pleasure Island in *Pinocchio* — but that cryptic logline "how a donkey became Donkey" suggests that his story begins as an ordinary animal, not a cursed human.

Murphy made his debut as Donkey in 2001's *Shrek*, the smash hit that launched a massive franchise and won the inaugural Oscar for Best Animated Feature. He reprised the role in 2004's *Shrek 2*, 2007's *Shrek the Third*, and 2010's *Shrek Forever After*. He did not appear in the *Puss in Boots* spinoffs centering on Antonio Banderas' feline swordsman, though Donkey did briefly show up in a non-speaking cameo in 2022's *Puss in Boots:* *The Last Wish*.

Eddie Murphy at an AFI tribute in April 2026.

Ser Baffo/Netflix

The *Coming to America* and *Beverly Hills Cop* star will play Donkey once more in *Shrek 5*, which will also see Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz return as Shrek and Fiona. Zendaya, Marcello Hernandez, and Skyler Gisondo will portray the children of the central ogre couple.

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Murphy previously expressed his interest in a Donkey spinoff after *The Last Wish*'s success. "I was like, 'They should have done a Donkey movie,'" he *told ETalk* in 2023. "Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain't funny as the Donkey."

- Animated Movies

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Source: “EW Animated”