The actor also recalled franchise co-director and actor Conrad Vernon landing the role of the Gingerbread Man.

John Lithgow wants a Lord Farquaad prequel after getting ‘eaten by that goddamn dragon’ in Shrek

The actor also recalled franchise co-director and actor Conrad Vernon landing the role of the Gingerbread Man.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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June 5, 2026 1:38 p.m. ET

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John Lithgow: Lord Farquaad. Credit:

Todd Owyoung/NBC; Everett

- John Lithgow is "available" for a Lord Farquaad prequel.

- The actor, who played the villain in the first film, expressed his frustration that "I never got any sequels because I was eaten by a dragon in the very first one."

- He added, "All the others went on and made millions just for spending five minutes.”

DreamWorks, take note! John Lithgow is ready for a new fairy tale starring his *Shrek *character, Lord Farquaad.

The actor, who voiced the nefarious and vertically challenged ruler in the first film, revealed on Thursday’s episode of *The Tonight Show *that he’s open to returning to the role for a potential prequel given — spoiler alert — his character doesn’t survive in the end.

“Unfortunately, I never got any sequels because I was eaten by a dragon in the very first one,” Lithgow explained to host Jimmy Fallon. “All the others went on and made millions just for spending five minutes.”

Lord Farquaad in 'Shrek'.

Lord Farquaad does, in fact, get eaten by Dragon during his wedding to Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) at the end of the first *Shrek*. When Fallon suggested the idea of a prequel that focused on Farquaad’s early days, Lithgow responded, “I’m available.”

It doesn't necessarily have to be a sequel, either! Lord Farquaad has appeared in other *Shrek* spinoffs in the years since he became a little wedding bite. He can be seen singing the Bee Gees’ “Stayin' Alive” from inside Dragon’s stomach in the 2001 short film *Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party*, and also appears as a ghost in the Universal Studios ride, *Shrek 4-D*.

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The Emmy winner also took a moment to reflect on his experience working on the film and the unique way that series actor and co-director Conrad Vernon unexpectedly landed the role as the Gingerbread Man.

“They had one of the writers there to feed me all my cues, and I acted with him, and he gave the best Gingerbread Man he could,” Lithgow said, referring to Vernon. “They went and looked and looked and looked for the right Gingerbread Man and they ended up hiring him!”

He jokingly continued, “And he became the Gingerbread Man for like, five *Shrek* movies! Me? Eaten by that goddamn dragon!”

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Vernon did much more than just voice the gumdrop-button-sporting Gingerbread Man. He went on to co-direct the film’s 2004 sequel and is set to return as co-director opposite Walt Dohrn for its upcoming fifth installment, which will land in theaters on June 30, 2027.

The sequel will not only mark the return of series all-stars Diaz, Mike Myers (Shrek), and Eddie Murphy (Donkey), but will also focus on Fiona and Shrek’s kids, played by Zendaya, Marcello Hernandez, and Skyler Gisondo.

Watch Lithgow discuss a return to the *Shrek*-verse — and portraying Dumbledore on the *Harry Potter* television series — in the clip above.

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