The Bad Guys is an upcoming American computer-animated heist comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. Based on the popular children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, the film was directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directional debut, and written by Etan Cohen and Hilary Winston. The film stars the voices of Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, Richard Ayoade, and Lilly Singh.
| The Bad Guys | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Pierre Perifel |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by | John Venzon |
| Music by | Daniel Pemberton[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film is scheduled to be released on April 22, 2022, by Universal Pictures.
Synopsis
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 live their lives as forces of good.
Cast
- Sam Rockwell[2] as Mr. Wolf[3]
- Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula
- Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha
- Marc Maron as Mr. Snake
- Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark
- Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington
- Alex Borstein as Chief of Police
- Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade
- Lilly Singh as TMZ reporter
Production
On July 22, 2017, several studios had expressed interest in adapting the series into a film.[4] In March 2018, Variety reported that DreamWorks Animation would develop a film based on the book series, with Etan Cohen writing the screenplay.[5][6][7] The following year, in October, it was reported that the film would be directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directorial debut, with Cohen and Hilary Winston set to co-write the film's script.[8] 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".[8] The crew worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] On June 22, 2021, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse composer Daniel Pemberton was signed to compose the score for the film.[1] On July 28, 2021, the cast was announced with Etan Cohen, the book's author Aaron Blabey and Patrick Hughes set to serve as executive producers for the film.[2] On the same day, director Pierre Perifel announced the character casting on his Instagram.[3]
Release
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.[8] 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.[10] In March 2021, the release date was scheduled to April 15, 2022.[11] In October 2021, it was pushed back again by one week to April 22.[12]
References
- ^ a b @DANIELPEMBERTON (June 22, 2021). "The news is now out there so this is probably a good time as any to say I've been working away for quite a while on a super fun big new animation feature from @Dreamworks and @UniversalPics:- "THE BAD GUYS" -" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (July 28, 2021). "Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos to Star in DreamWorks Animation's 'The Bad Guys' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b @pierreperifel (July 28, 2021). "The Bad Guys cast has finally been officially announced!". Retrieved July 28, 2021 – via Instagram.
- ^ 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. "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.
- ^ 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. 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. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
External links
- The Bad Guys at IMDb