Though Nicolas Cage has starred in countless films, he ultimately turned down the role of Shrek. While Cage is known for his intense, over-the-top performances, Shrek's character required a tone of anger that wouldn't have matched well.
Nicolas Cage was offered the role of Shrek at one point, but turned it down. In 1996, DreamWorks hired Chris Farley to do the voice. Farley had recorded 80 to 90% of the dialogue for the character, but died in December 1997, before completing the project.
Before Mike Myers took on the role of big green ogre Shrek, funnyman Chris Farley was set to voice the character. In newly surfaced audio tapes, the late comedian can be heard voicing the popular character prior to his 1997 death, along with Eddie Murphy, who voices Donkey.
Some other actors considered for Shrek include Bill Murray and Nicolas Cage. Before DreamWorks was even founded, early ideas for Shrek paired Murry with Steve Martin voicing Donkey. During the actual casting process, Cage was offered the part before Myers.
"I turned down Lord of the Rings and I turned down Matrix because I didn't want to go to New Zealand for three years or Australia for three years because I needed to be home with my son Weston," Nicolas Cage revealed in a 2022 interview with People Magazine.
Cage added that his Superman never came to fruition ultimately because Burton's 1996 flick Mars Attacks wasn't enough of a box office hit. “They were scared at the studio because of Mars Attacks. Warner Bros. had lost a lot of money on the movie.
Fiona is voiced by actress Cameron Diaz. Comedian and actress Janeane Garofalo was originally cast as the character until she was fired from the first film with little explanation.
Shrek's height isn't officially specified in the movies or books, but shrek character has been depicted as being quite large and towering over most other characters. In the DreamWorks animated films, he appears to be several times taller than the average human, often depicted as being around 7 feet tall or more.
Inspiration. There is speculation that Lord Farquaad's appearance was inspired by Michael Eisner, the then–CEO of The Walt Disney Company, because of producer Jeffrey Katzenberg's animosity toward his former employer.
As far as we're all concerned, their names are Fiona and Shrek Ogre because they're ogres. Other than that, neither of them ever had a last name mentioned in the movies.
In the case of the Shrek franchise, Shrek's Scottish accent was a much-needed addition to the film for character background, historical depth, and individuality.
After one quick Google search, we can say that adult Fiona has been in the tower for a little over 23 years. Add that on poor Fiona's age when she was first locked up and we find out that she's somewhere around 30.
For voicing Princess Fiona in "Shrek" (2001), she was paid $3 million, per Spear's. The same outlet reports that her role in "The Sweetest Thing" (2002) paid her $15 million while the same year she received a reported $17.5 million for Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002).
Though it is not as great as "Shrek" or "Shrek 2" it is a HUGE improvement over "Shrek the Third." The movie helped the franchise gain some of its heart back that was lacking in the third film and had some terrific action scenes.
Shrek also has a strong sense of right and wrong, and although he usually puts himself before anyone else, he repeatedly saves Donkey and comes to his aid. Shrek likes to bluster that he only cares about himself and his beloved peace and quiet, but this ogre has a heart as big as his swamp.
Shrek 5 is rumored to release in 2025. Although Eddie Murphy initially mentioned a 2020 release, recent updates remain scarce, with a leaked LinkedIn post suggesting 2025.
Princess Fiona (speaking voice by Cameron Diaz, singing voice provided by Sally Dworsky in the first film, Renee Sands on all other occasions, and Holly Fields in the video games) is the princess of the kingdom of Far Far Away and Shrek's wife from the end of the first film on.
Rapunzel, having fallen in love with Charming, betrays Fiona, and the ladies are locked in a tower. Hook and his pirates catch up to Shrek on Merlin's island. Shrek avoids capture, and Hook reveals Charming's takeover of Far Far Away.
Warner Bros. had creative differences with Burton, and the script was rewritten multiple times, leading to a long pre-production stage for Superman Lives. Despite spending $30 million on developing Superman Lives, Warner Bros. eventually canceled the project.
Batman feared Superman's unchecked power, and Superman (Henry Cavill) hated Batman's brutal methods, but the real reason why Batman and Superman fight is manipulation by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).
Three Western actors - Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford - all turned down the lead role in the 1978 Superman movie, fearing it would overshadow their own personas. McQueen, who was near the end of his career, didn't want the burden of such a massive role.
