Nobody likely thought the Shrek franchise still had legs over a decade and a half down the line, but Dreamworks is still keen to keep the beast breathing.

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Shrek 5 writer Michael McCullers, who also penned the surprisingly successful Boss Baby, to determine the current status of the project.

McCullers revealed the screenplay has been completed for the film, and added: "It’s got a pretty big reinvention behind it that I guess I can’t really reveal, but since DreamWorks was sold to Universal in that time for over $3 billion, I imagine they’re particularly interested in it stepping up and actually figuring out the future of the franchise in that way on the corporate level."

"Reinvention was sort of called for. There’s been four movies and a lot of material, so the characters are pretty beloved and they’re great characters, but you also have to think of a pretty new take at that point."

Really, it's no surprise Universal would be keen to further push the Shrek franchise as a property, since it continues to be a strong source of revenue for the company on a merchandising level.

But with four films regrettably offering diminishing returns, where can the fairytale parody go next without feeling tired or washed out?