In February 2019, Bob Persichetti, the head of story on the first film, signed on to direct the sequel. In November 2018, it was announced by Variety that Chris Meledandri had been tasked to being one of the executive producers of both Shrek 5 and Puss in Boots 2, with the cast returning. In March 2015, Banderas said in an interview that the script was under restructuring, and that Shrek may appear in the film. In January 2015, Puss in Boots 2 was removed from the release schedule following corporate restructuring and DreamWorks Animation's new policy to release two films a year.
In August 2014, it was delayed to December 21, 2018. In June 2014, the movie was titled Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves and was scheduled to be released on November 2, 2018. In April 2014, Antonio Banderas, the voice of Puss, said that the work on the sequel had just begun. In November 2012, executive producer Guillermo del Toro said that they already did a couple of script drafts for a sequel, and that the director Chris Miller wants to take Puss on an adventure to exotic places. He sets out on an epic journey to find the mystical Last Wish and restore his nine lives. Two years after the events of the first film, Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one left.