The Shrek franchise is set to return to the big screen after a five-year absence.
The acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind the original films, by NBCUniversal could lead to more fairytale adventures, according to NBCUniversal chief executive Steve Burke.
The deal was worth $3.8bn (£2.7bn) and will lead to Chris Meledandri, of Despicable Me production company Illumination Entertainment, taking charge of the series’s revival.
“He is creatively going to try to help us figure out how to resurrect Shrek,” Burke said.
A key goal is also to increase the presence of the franchise’s characters within Universal’s theme parks, as well as any added merchandising opportunities. Burke says the deal “advances our consumer products agenda by five years”.
Shrek was released in 2001, making $484m globally and picking up the first ever Oscar for best animated feature. It was followed by three more films and a spin-off Puss in Boots. The franchise has so far made $3.5bn worldwide.
Another Shrek film would follow Pixar’s increased sequel output, with Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory out this summer, followed by Cars 3 and Toy Story 4.
