Just before the release of "The Super Mario Brothers Movie," Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed that "Shrek 5" is in the works.

In a recent interview with Collider, Eddie Murphy (voice of Donkey) let slip that he has been doing voice work for a while and hopes the movie will hit screens next year. If that excites you, you'll be pleased to know that Murphy has also teased that his character will appear as a standalone character once "Shrek 5" is completed (plot details regarding both remain under wraps).

"I started 'Shrek 4' or 'Shrek 5' months ago," he said. Shrek is coming out.

"Shrek is coming out and Donkey is going to be his movie. I'm going to do Donkey, too. So I'm doing 'Shrek' and I'm doing 'Donkey.

That buddy spinoff is still a ways off. Asked if he is working on both projects right now, Eddie Murphy said, "No, not at the same time. I think I'm going to start recording "Shrek" and it will be released in 2025.

News of another possible spin-off should not come as a real surprise. Shrek's last feature film, "Shrek Forever After," was released in 2010, but the franchise lives on in "Puss in Boots" and "Puss in Boots/Last Wishes," which will be released in 2022: "Puss in Boots" and "Puss in Boots/Last Wishes" in 2022. The latter was the 10th highest grossing film of that year at the box office and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (won by "Pinocchio," directed by Guillermo del Toro).

Eddie Murphy has voiced Mike Myers' beloved green ogre sidekick since the original movie aired in 2001, and has been calling for an additional "Shrek" movie and a solo "Donkey" appearance for some time now. In the process, he has taken a swing at the fencing cat played by Antonio Banderas!

Last January, he told ETalk that he is "absolutely" open to returning. He said, "If they make another 'Shrek,' I'll do it in two seconds."

He added, "I'd love to do 'Shrek.' I love Donkey." There was a "Puss in Boots" movie, right? I said, 'They should have made a Donkey movie. Donkey is more interesting than Puss in Boots. I love "Puss in Boots," but "Donkey" is not funny. I want to do a Donkey movie. I would do 'Shrek' in two seconds."

When Illumination's Chris Meledandri first confirmed that he was working with DreamWorks Animation to revive the "Shrek" franchise, he made it clear that he was eager to work with the original cast.

"It's not unlike the process we went through with 'Mario,' where we look at what the core elements were that audiences loved and do our best to honor those core elements," Meledandri said at the time. And we work hard to build story elements, new characters, and take them to a whole new place." The original cast is a big part of that."

At that point, negotiations with the cast were underway, and Meledandri said there was "tremendous enthusiasm" from the actors to return. Given that Eddie Murphy will appear, it is almost certain that Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz will also reprise their roles as Shrek and Fiona.

If this progress makes you want to watch DreamWorks' animated blockbuster again, it is currently available on Netflix and (as of this writing) ranks among Netflix's top 10 films.

If you want to stream on one of the best streaming services, you better act fast because "Shrek" is leaving Netflix at the end of July.