MOVIE NEWS – DreamWorks’ smash hit Shrek is set to return – but who will take the baton as the Hungarian dub?

The memorable voice of Shrek is Károly Gesztesi, who would have turned 60 this year. He would have been, but sadly, he died of a heart attack in early 2020. As the fifth episode is being made, some fans have suggested that Gesztesi could be replaced by the parody video artist Peti Radics. The YouTuber dismissed this suggestion quite strongly, but has another suggestion.

Recently, it was suggested that Gesztesi could be brought back as the Hungarian voice of Shrek using artificial intelligence if it becomes relevant again, and in this regard, Radics Peti’s fans have also thrown in the community that Radics should be the voice of the ogre.

“I have already expressed my opinion on this once, and I was quite dismissive. But now something has changed. I’ve become even more dismissive. But also more permissive in a way. I’m honoured by the kind audience that they see in me and the potential to fill the gap left by artist Gesztesi, but just because something works in a parody doesn’t mean it would be a success in a movie. Sometimes, I did manage to catch Gesztesi’s voice acting, but that alone is not enough. In the case of a dub parody, the resemblance is fun, but when it’s taken seriously, it’s just a cheap imitation and creates dissatisfaction. And an artist should be himself, not try to imitate! That’s not good for the audience and not good for the artist,” the YouTuber wrote on Facebook.

But Radics doesn’t think it’s a bad idea to use AI to bring back the voice of Károly Gesztesi for Shrek 5: “Gesztesi can’t be replaced; he will remain the Hungarian voice of Shrek. I trust that a legal solution will be found to exploit the potential of AI.”

“If this is the way the project would go, I would be happy to be available as a voice donor to bring back Mr Gesztesi’s organ!”

After the success of the Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Universal, Illumination and DreamWorks Animation are ready to make Shrek 5 and even resurrect the franchise. The original actors will return in the lead roles, with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy as the voices of Shrek, Fiona and the donkey. So, there will be a new Shrek; the only question is who will replace Károly Gesztesi in the Hungarian dubbing director’s chair.

Source: Facebook/Radics Peti