Shrek 5 is officially coming in 2026, and several major aspects have already been revealed to get audiences excited about the upcoming release. Perhaps the most surprising revelation is that Spider-Man’s Zendaya will be joining the franchise as Felicia, the daughter of protagonists Shrek and Fiona. This seemingly indicates the direction that Shrek 5’s story is going to take, focusing on the ogres’ family lives and the universal difficulties of raising a teenager.

This news has been met with mixed reactions from long-time audiences of the animated franchise, with many audiences excited to see what Zendaya can do with the character and others skeptical that Felicia’s story is the right way to continue the series. It’s ultimately too early to know for sure how Shrek 5 plans to deal with this narrative obstacle, but one thing’s for sure; there’s going to be lots of pressure on Shrek 5 to wrap up the existing storylines and character arcs in clean, satisfying ways.

Shrek 5 Is Sure To Give Zendaya A Major Role As Shrek’s Daughter

The Actor Could Be The Star Of The Show In Shrek 5

The Shrek movies have always had a subtle family undertone, with Shrek’s triplets and Donkey’s “dronkeys” playing huge roles in the later sequels as the main characters struggle with the mundane life in their fantastical world. Now, with Zendaya confirmed to be playing Shrek’s teenage daughter in the fifth movie, the movies have the perfect opportunity to fully lean into this familial subplot more strongly than ever before.

It also helps that Zendaya is a mᴀssive Hollywood star whose involvement in the sequel is sure to be a huge draw for audiences. The writers would be missing a big opportunity if they didn’t make her character one of the story’s main figures, but they also run the risk of drifting too far from what originally made Shrek so brilliant.

Shrek, Fiona, & Donkey Need To Still Be Shrek 5’s Main Characters

The Series Can’t Divert Too Much From Its Typical Formula

Ultimately, the main trio of the Shrek franchise is who audiences will be returning to this sequel for. Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona have led this series from the very beginning, and Shrek 5 would be making a huge mistake to sideline them at such a crucial point in the series. Those children who originally fell in love with 2001’s Shrek are much older now, and the only thing that’s going to bring them back for the fifth installment is major roles for their favorite characters.

While it’s great that Shrek 5 has stars like Zendaya to keep the ensemble fresh and exciting, this shouldn’t become the sole focus of the movie. Very few details have been confirmed about the upcoming installment, so it’s too early to say which direction this sequel will be moving in, but it needs to keep its priorities in order and serve as a fitting continuation of the main trio’s stories before focusing on the new characters.

Shrek 5 Must Resist Making Zendaya’s Character Overshadow The Original Trio

Zendaya Could Be Great, But Her Character Should Remain A Supporting One

Zendaya has appeared in countless successful movies over the past few years, and she’s a brilliant actor in her own right, so it would be understandably tempting to make her the star of the show in Shrek 5. She’s hugely popular with young audiences, and an A-List actor like Zendaya doesn’t get cast unless there’s a big, complex role waiting for her. It would be very easy to allow her character to overshadow Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey, but this would quickly alienate returning audiences who want to see more of the characters they also know and love.

Especially with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy all returning to these roles after sixteen years, it’s important that the existing actors are given enough time to shine alongside the new ones. Anything else would be a disappointing injustice to the Shrek franchise as a whole.