Madagascar 4 (film)

Production
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has stated that there is likely to be a fourth installment in the franchise stating: "Ultimately they will come back to New York and they will come to terms with that, which they will do in this next chapter. Because of the way that movie concludes there’s probably one more for them." However, in June 2012, DreamWorks Animation's head of worldwide marketing, Anne Globe, said, "It's too early to tell. There hasn't been a lot of discussion about that." Eric Darnell, who co-directed all three films, spoke of the possibility of the fourth film, noting, "Two things have to happen. One is that the world has to want Madagascar 4, because if they don't want it, it doesn't matter what we do. And the other thing is even if the world wants Madagascar 4, we have to make sure that we have an idea that is incredible, that is great, that is unexpected. If the audience wants it and we have a great idea, we will see – maybe." On June 12, 2014, the film was scheduled to be released on May 18, 2018. In January 2015, Madagascar 4 was removed from the release schedule following corporate restructuring and DreamWorks Animation's new policy to release two films a year. In April 2017, Tom McGrath said about the film: "There are things in the works, nothing is announced yet, but I think they'll show their faces once more..." However, in December 2020, DreamWorks and Universal revealed that the film was back in production with a release date scheduled for December 1, 2023. The same month, it was announced that Jill Culton was set to direct and Mark Swift, who worked on the third film, returned to produce the film.