The Bad Guys

The Bad Guys is an upcoming American computer-animated heist comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film, based on the popular children's book series by Australian author Aaron Blabey, will be directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directional debut and written by Etan Cohen and Hilary Winston. The project is scheduled to be released on April 15, 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.

Production
On July 22, 2017, several studios had expressed interest in adapting the series into a film. On March 9, 2018, Variety reported that DreamWorks Animation will develop a film based on the book series, with Etan Cohen as writer. On October 7, 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". The crew worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Release
On October 7, 2019, it was reported that the film will be released on September 17, 2021, taking over the release date for Spooky Jack. On December 28, 2020, the film was delayed, though it was confirmed that it would get a new date "within the coming weeks". On March 17, 2021, the release date was scheduled to April 15, 2022