The Shrek franchise has seen immense success over the last twenty years, becoming a cultural icon and the second-highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time. The series was first expanded in 2011 with Puss in Boots, which told the origin story of the series’ iconic boots-wearing feline. That backstory will now be developed further with the sequel film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, set to arrive in theaters this fall.

2011’s Puss in Boots saw the titular feline’s backstory explored for the first time, recounting his adventures with other well-known fairytale characters such as Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk fame. So how can we expect the upcoming sequel to build on this established world? With the film’s release coming up soon, let’s take a look at everything we know about Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

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What will the plot entail? Whose voices can we expect to hear in the cast? How and where can we see it when it is released? And what else should audiences know before the next installment of this huge animated franchise? Let’s find out!

The Plot

     Universal Pictures

The film will pick up some time after the events of the first film, though still before Puss eventually crosses paths with Shrek. The recent release of the official trailer has given us some idea of what we can expect to see in the film. In the trailer, we see Puss fighting a giant rock monster to the cheers of his fans. He defeats the monster, though he dies when a church bell falls on top of him. We learn that Puss’s life of adventure has already cost him eight of his nine lives. With only one life left, Puss is forced to confront the fact that he will not live forever, and he must learn how to live his ninth life as though it is truly his last. It doesn’t seem like this news fundamentally changes Puss that much, as he still continues his life of fighting, with his newest adversaries being Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Puss’s sidekick and love interest from the first film, Kitty Softpaws, will be by his side in the new adventure, as will the new character Perro, the duo’s canine associate.

The trailer gives us a general idea of what we can expect from the film, but for any more concrete information, we will likely have to wait and see when the film hits theaters this fall

The Cast

Antonio Banderas will be reprising his role as Puss, just as he did throughout the Shrek franchise and the first Puss in Boots film. Salma Hayek is also back as Kitty Softpaws, reprising her role from the first film. At this time, Banderas and Hayek are the only two stars from the first film confirmed to be returning.

They will be joined by a star-studded roster of new cast members. Per Deadline, Harvey Guillen will be voicing Puss and Kitty’s new canine partner Perro while Florence Pugh will voice Goldilocks. Additional announced cast members include Olivia Colman, Wagner Moura, Anthony Mendez, Samson Kayo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and John Mulaney. While we know that these names have boarded the film, we do not yet know who their characters are or how they will be integrated into the world.

Release Date

A Puss in Boots sequel has been in development at DreamWorks for years, beginning soon after the first film’s release. In June 2014, the sequel was first given a release date of November 2, 2018, titled Puss in Boots: Nine Lives and Forty Thieves. It was later removed from the schedule and underwent several more years of changes in development. Finally, in March 2021, the film received its current release date under the new title Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

The film will be released theatrically in the United States on September 23, 2022, barring any delays or cancellations.

Everything Else

The origin of Puss in Boots was previously explored in greater detail in the Netflix series The Adventures of Puss in Boots, which ran on the streamer from 2015 to 2018. The series explored Puss’s life before the 2011 movie in the village of San Lorenzo. The series appears to have only a loose connection to the films, with neither the original nor the upcoming sequel involving any events from the Netflix series. No characters from the film series besides Puss appeared in the series. Banderas did not voice him, as veteran voice actor Eric Bauza instead took on the role.

More than a decade has passed since any Shrek films were theatrically released, so Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has some big shoes to fill. If it does well with audiences and at the box office, we might see a new era begin for the franchise. Who knows, maybe even that long-rumored Shrek 5 could finally see the light of day.