The Bad Guys is an upcoming American computer-animated heist comedy film based on the Scholastic book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature film directorial debut and written by Etan Cohen and Hilary Winston. It is set to be released on April 15, 2022 and will be the 42nd feature film.[1]
Plot
The film centers on several reformed yet misunderstood villains known as Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula. The five tire of a life of crime and decide to put their lives as forces of good.
Development
In March 2018, Variety reported that DreamWorks Animation will develop a film based on the book series, with Etan Cohen as writer.[2] In October 2019, it was reported that the film will be directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directorial debut, with Cohen and Hilary Winston set to write the film's screenplay. 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". It was also reported that the film would be released theatrically September 17, 2021.[3] In May 2020, the crew worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In December 2020, the film was pulled off the release schedule, though it was confirmed that it would get a new date "within the coming weeks".[5] In March 2021, the release date was delayed to April 15, 2022.[6]
Trivia
- This is the first DreamWorks Animation original full-length feature film of the 2020s.
- DreamWorks Animation's second film to release in April after Trolls World Tour (2020)
- DreamWorks Animation's second film distributed by Universal Pictures to not be a sequel to an already existing film after Abominable (2019).