‘Shrek’ as you know it might have been completely different. Here’s why

He’s big, he’s green, and he’s got layers like an onion, but once upon a time Shrek was very different. The character we’ve come to known and love over four movies wasn’t always voiced by Mike Myers. Because, once upon a time, Shrek was voiced by SNL alum Chris Farley. Whoa.

Did you guys know this? Because this is blowing our mind right now. Way before Myers stepped into Shrek’s shoes, Farley was tasked with bringing him to life for a very different Shrek movie. According to Farley’s brother, Kevin, “Originally the Shrek character was a little bit more like Chris, like a humble, bumbling innocent guy,” he explained, during promotion for I Am Chris Farley, the upcoming documentary about the late comic’s life.

Not only that, but the movie was also going to have a completely different plot. It was going to focus on Shrek as a teenager —not an adult Oger who just wants to be left alone in his swamp.

Shrek originally went into production in 1995 —Farley recorded about 99% of his lines for the first installment of the film. In 1997, the actor and comedian tragically died before completing that last 1% of the voice work, and the role was recast with Myers.

Still too crazy to believe? There’s actually a short reel from the film that was leaked and posted on reddit early this morning —and it’s already gotten over a million views. In it, we’ve got storyboard drawings of Shrek and Donkey (forever voiced by Eddie Murphy), as they argue about Shrek’s feelings.

It’s seriously wonderful and breaking our hearts. Take a look here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcqJgC0WZ3o

(Image via Giphy, Dreamworks, YouTube)

The new trailer for the Chris Farley doc is heartbreaking and wonderful