'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' star Antonio Banderas hints at the return of 'Shrek' characters

It took over a decade for the character of Puss in Boots to make his triumphant return to theaters, but something tells us it won't be very long before the cat in the hat comes back...again. Since opening in late 2022, DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has racked up a near-perfect 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, $369 million at the worldwide box office, and a coveted Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. The chances of a third movie getting green-lit are getting better every day, according to Antonio Banderas himself. 

"It doesn't depend on me, normally sequels are chosen by the audience," the actor behind the sword-wielding feline noted during an interview with the Radio Times. "[But] if they go to the movie theater massively in the way that they are responding to Puss in Boots probably this could lead to the possibility of another movie with Puss."

There's also been plenty of buzz surrounding The Last Wish's end credits stinger, which finds Puss, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and Perrito (Harvey Guillén) sailing toward Far Far Away to seek out "new adventures and to see some old friends" as Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell's iconic theme to Shrek plays over the soundtrack.

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"Maybe Shrek is coming back," Banderas teased. "I don't know, there are many different possibilities open for these characters to continue, but that doesn't depend on me, that is something that the audience chooses in a way."

The return of our favorite, swamp-dwelling ogre (and all the fairy tale friends he's met along the way) wouldn't be a tough sell for other veterans of the franchise. In the last year alone, both Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy have affirmed their love of the Shrek series.

A reboot of the property was announced back in 2018, with Illumination Entertainment founder and CEO Chris Meledandri said to be spearheading the effort. Given the success of Puss in Boots' latest adventure, we'd guess that DreamWorks will most likely ditch the revamp idea in favor of a direct continuation, picking up the story where Shrek Forever After left off more than a decade ago.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is currently playing in theaters everywhere and available to rent/purchase on VOD platforms.

If you want to feel like an all star, head over to Peacock for Shrek, Shrek 2, and Shrek Forever After.