Former Shrek director Andrew Adamson talked to Sci-Fi Wire recently and told them about the third installment in the fantasy franchise, which he remains closely involved in despite stepping down as director in favour of The Chronicles Of Narnia.
Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote and directed Shrek and Shrek 2, told the website that he will stay to help out, but will be handing over helming duties: "It's a story that I'm [emotionally] attached to, and I'm working very closely with Aron Warner, who was the producer of the first two films and is back for the third, and with the directors, Raman Hui and Chris Miller, who were both on the last two films as well [in different capacities]."
Adamson reckons he’ll be listed as an executive producer and get a ‘story by’ credit, but says he’s trying not to get too involved in the writing. “The writing is something I love. It's the time when anything is possible, but to me it's also the darkest time, the hardest part. It's the time when you only have yourself to blame for your own limitations. I find that once I get into writing it sucks me into all sorts of pits of despair."
In the third film, Shrek is forced to take over kinging duties when Princess Fiona’s father falls ill. Funnily enough, our favourite testy ogre isn’t mad keen on this, and sets off to find a new king, named Arthur (step up to the mic Justin Timberlake). "It kind of plays with Arthurian legend,” says Adamson. “At the same time that Shrek is learning about responsibility he's also dealing with another responsibility that will be coming his way now that he's married and has started to settle down. It's pretty easy to see where we're going with that." A baby ogre? Cuter than a barrel of sickly green kittens we think.
Shrek 3 will be released in 2007.