Variety recently reported that Despicable Me creator Chris Meledandri will be at the helm of a Shrek reboot by Illumination. It's been a whole eight years since the last film in the Shrek series (Shrek Forever After), and he's since had somewhat of a resurgence amongst Internet culture, so perhaps it's about time.
Meledandri stated that, while being described as a reboot, he doesn't want to see the franchise continue without its iconic cast of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas.
When you look back on those vocal performances they’re awesome, and while you certainly could make a case for a complete reinvention, I find myself responding to my own nostalgic feelings of wanting to go back to those characterizations. The challenge for us has been to find something that really does feel like it’s not simply yet another film in a series of sequels.
He further explained that there isn't a planned story for the revival - but thankfully he sounds as if he's treating the franchise with the utmost respect - as the story must hold up against the previous instalments: "There’s a tremendous amount of fun to be had in that world, but it’s a high bar to find a story that’s truly world. You want to find something in the narrative that really feels like a departure."
What do you think of Meledandri's comments? What do you think of Illumination helming a Shrek revival?
Illumination's upcoming animated film; The Grinch hits theatres on November 9th.