The Bad Guys (franchise)

Last updated
The Bad Guys
The Bad Guys (film).svg
Official franchise logo
Created by Pierre Perifel
Original work The Bad Guys (2022)
Owner DreamWorks Animation
(Universal Pictures)
Years2022–present
Based on The Bad Guys
by Aaron Blabey
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby (2023)
Television special(s) The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday (2023)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)The Bad Guys (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

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 a holiday special was released on Netflix in 2023, with a sequel set for release in 2025.

Contents

Films

The Bad Guys (2022)

On 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, and what Kung Fu Panda did for the kung fu genre". [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)

In 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]

Shorts

A CG sequel short based on the film, The Bad Guys in Maraschino Ruby, was announced in the Blu-ray and Digital release with a story made and directed by head of the story Nelson Yokota, and produced by Angie Howard while executive produced by Pierre Perifel, Damon Ross, Rebecca Huntley, and Michael Vollman.

Holiday special

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, [16] albeit none of the film's principal voice cast would be reprising their respective roles for the special.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DreamWorks Animation</span> American animation studio

DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA) (also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio owned by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The studio has released a total of 48 feature films, including several of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Shrek 2 (2004) having been the highest at the time of its release. Its first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film was Kung Fu Panda 4 on March 8, 2024; their upcoming theatrical slate of films includes The Wild Robot on September 27, 2024, Dog Man on January 31, 2025, The Bad Guys 2 on August 1, 2025, and Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025.

Aaron Blabey is an Australian author of children's books.

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The Croods is a 2013 American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, both of whom also wrote the screenplay and were credited with conceiving the story alongside John Cleese. The film stars the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The film is set in a fictional prehistoric Pliocene era known as "The Croodaceous" when Grug, patriarch of the Croods, is threatened by the arrival of a genius named Guy, who comes up with revolutionary new inventions as they trek through a dangerous but exotic land in search of a new home.

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<i>The Bad Guys</i> (film) 2022 film by Pierre Perifel

The Bad Guys is a 2022 American animated heist comedy film loosely based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, produced by DreamWorks Animation Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Pierre Perifel from a screenplay by Etan Cohen, and stars the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, and Lilly Singh. It tells the story of a criminal group of anthropomorphic animals who, upon being caught, pretend to attempt to reform themselves as model citizens, only for their leader to find himself genuinely drawn to changing his ways for good as a new villain has his own plans.

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<i>The Bad Guys</i> (book series) Comic book series

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References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. 1 2 3 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 March 2024). "DreamWorks Animation Sets 'The Bad Guys 2' For Late Summer 2025". Deadline. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  16. ↑ 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.
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