- NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke is looking to revive "Shrek". As AceShowbiz reports citing Deadline, Burke told an investor gathering on Tuesday, June 14, about his plan to make four animated movies a year following Comcast acquisition of DreamWorks Animation.
He also aims to create characters that will expand the business into theme park attraction and merchandise. He told the Guggenheim Partners TMT Symposium that his goal's to take "the low-single digit returns of the movie business and turn it into a different kind of business."
Comcast agreed to pay $3.8 billion for DWA, with Illumination's Chris Meledandri taking creative control over the film. Burke explained, "He is creatively going to try to help us figure out how to resurrect 'Shrek' and take a lot of the existing DreamWorks franchises and add value as we create new franchises."
The original "Shrek" movie debuted in 2001 and earned $484.4 million worldwide. The second film, "Shrek 2", was released in 2004 and earned $919.8 million. "Shrek the Third" followed 3 years later and made $799 million. The fourth installment, "Shrek Forever After", premiered in 2010 and grossed $752 million.
There were also two holiday specials entitled "Shrek the Halls" in 2007 and "Scared Shrekless" in 2010. Moreover, a spin-off film called "Puss in Boots" was released in 2011. It followed the character Puss in Boots on his adventures before his first appearance in "Shrek 2".
