The Bad Guys is a media franchise made by DreamWorks Animation, loosely based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. The franchise began with the 2022 film The Bad Guys, and has since grown to include two holiday specials, which were released on Netflix in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and a sequel, The Bad Guys 2, set for release on August 1, 2025.
| The Bad Guys | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Created by | Pierre Perifel |
| Original work | The Bad Guys |
| Owners | DreamWorks Animation (Universal Pictures) |
| Years | 2022-present |
| Based on | The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | The Bad Guys The Bad Guys 2 |
| Short film(s) | The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby |
| Television special(s) | The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | The Bad Guys (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
Films
edit| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bad Guys | April 22, 2022 | Pierre Perifel | Etan Cohen | Based on the books by: Aaron Blabey | Damon Ross & Rebecca Huntley |
| The Bad Guys 2 | August 1, 2025 | Pierre Perifel and JP Sans | TBA | Damon Ross |
The Bad Guys (2022)
editOn July 22, 2017, Australia's The Daily Telegraph reported that several studios had expressed interest in adapting the series into a film.[1] In March 2018, Variety reported that DreamWorks Animation would develop a film based on the book series, with Etan Cohen writing the screenplay.[2][3][4] The following year, in October, it was reported that the film would be directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directorial debut.[5] The film was described as having "a similar twist on the heist genre that Shrek did on fairy tales, Kung Fu Panda did for the kung fu genre and Trolls did for the musical numbers of the franchise."[5] The crew worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
On July 28, 2021, the cast was announced with Etan Cohen, Patrick Hughes, and author Aaron Blabey set to serve as executive producers for the film.[7]
On October 7, 2019, it was reported that the film would be theatrically released on September 17, 2021, taking over the release date of Spooky Jack.[5] In December 2020, the film was delayed with The Boss Baby: Family Business taking its original slot, though it was confirmed that it would get a new date "within the coming weeks" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] In March 2021, the release date was scheduled to April 15, 2022.[9] In October 2021, it was pushed back again by one week to April 22.[10] The film was slated to stream in the United States on the Peacock streaming service 45 days after its theatrical release,[11] followed by its Netflix debut after Peacock's 4-month exclusive window.[12] On March 1, 2022, Universal pulled the release in Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13]
The Bad Guys 2 (2025)
editIn March 2022, a month before the film was released, Perifel said that he would love to do a sequel.[14] Two years later, DreamWorks Animation officially confirmed a sequel with a release date set for August 1, 2025. Perifel will return to direct and JP Sans, who served as head of character animation on the previous film, will co-direct, with the cast reprising their roles.[15] In addition, the film will also feature new characters played by Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Brooks and Maria Bakalova.[16]
Shorts
editA CG sequel short based on the film, The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby, was announced in the Blu-ray and Digital release. It was written and directed by head of story Nelson Yokota, and produced by Angie Howard while executive produced by Pierre Perifel, Damon Ross, Rebecca Huntley, and Michael Vollman.
Specials
editThe Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday (2023)
edit
A holiday special, titled The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, inspired by the characters from the film was being produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and will be directed by Bret Haaland from Fast & Furious Spy Racers and executive produced by Haaland and Katherina Nolfi from Abominable and the Invisible City and Spirit Riding Free. The holiday special premiered on November 30, 2023, on Netflix,[17] albeit none of the film's principal voice cast would be reprising their respective roles for the special.
The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist (2024)
edit
On July 10, 2024, it was announced that a new Halloween special, titled The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist, inspired by the characters from the film was being produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, which premiered on Netflix on October 3, 2024.
Cast and characters
editThis section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
- An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- Y indicates a younger version of the character.
| Characters | Feature films | Short film | Television specials | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bad Guys | The Bad Guys 2 | The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby | The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday | The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist | |
| 2022 | 2025 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Mr. Wolf | Sam Rockwell | Michael Godere | |||
| Mr. Snake | Marc Maron | Chris Diamantopoulos | |||
| Mr. Shark | Craig Robinson | Ezekiel Ajeigbe | |||
| Mr. Piranha | Anthony Ramos | Raul Ceballos | |||
| Ms. Tarantula / "Webs" | Awkwafina | Mallory Low | |||
| Diane Foxington / The Crimson Paw | Zazie Beetz | ||||
| Professor Marmalade | Richard Ayoade | ||||
| Officer Misty Luggins | Alex Borstein | ||||
| Tiffany Fluffit | Lilly Singh | Zehra Fazal | |||
| Kitty Cat | Danielle Brooks | ||||
| Doom | Natasha Lyonne | ||||
| Pigtail | Maria Bakalova | ||||
| Officer Bob | Orlando Duenas | ||||
| Phone Operator | Angie Howard | ||||
| Gary | Keith Silverstein | ||||
| DJ Trudy Tude | Kari Wahlgren | ||||
| Reginald E. Scary | Chris Diamantopoulos | ||||
References
edit- ^ Baker, Jordan (July 22, 2017). "Aaron's amazing tale picked up by Hollywood". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 9, 2018). "Etan Cohen and DreamWorks Animation Developing 'Bad Guys' Film Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ White, James (March 11, 2018). "Writer Etan Cohen Bringing The Bad Guys To DreamWorks Animation". Empire. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (March 9, 2018). "Etan Cohen Adapting 'The Bad Guys' Books for DreamWorks Animation". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 7, 2019). "DreamWorks Animation & Universal To Release 'Spirit Riding Free' & 'The Bad Guys' In 2021". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 8, 2020). "How Animated Pics Like 'Tom & Jerry', 'SpongeBob Movie', 'Sing 2', Skydance's 'Luck' & More Are Working Through The COVID-19 Crisis". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (July 28, 2021). "Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos to Star in DreamWorks Animation's 'The Bad Guys' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Welk, Brian (December 28, 2020). "'The Boss Baby' Sequel Bumped to September 2021, 'The Bad Guys' Moves to 2022". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 17, 2021). "DreamWorks Animation's 'Puss In Boots' Sequel & 'The Bad Guys' Get Release Dates At Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (October 12, 2021). "Universal Pushes Dates For DreamWorks Toon 'The Bad Guys' & George Clooney-Julia Roberts Pic 'Ticket To Paradise'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (July 13, 2021). "Netflix Will Remain The Streaming Home For Universal And DreamWorks Animated Films (After They Hit Peacock)". Slash Film. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (March 1, 2022). "Universal Pulls Russia Releases, Including Animated 'Bad Guys' and Michael Bay's 'Ambulance'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Percival, Tom (March 31, 2022). "The Bad Guys director would love to do a sequel". The Digital Flix. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 March 2024). "DreamWorks Animation Sets 'The Bad Guys 2' For Late Summer 2025". Deadline. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (2024-11-21). "'The Bad Guys 2' Trailer: Natasha Lyonne Joins the Heist in DreamWorks Sequel". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt (October 9, 2023). "The Bad Guys Prequel Movie Gets New Voice Cast, Netflix Release Date and First Photos". TVLine. Retrieved October 9, 2023.