The Bad Guys - What We Know So Far

Whereas many of Pixar's most acclaimed movies — such as "Ratatouille," "Wall-E," Up," and "Inside Out" — stand alone, for DreamWorks Animation films, sequels are something of an expectation. Movies animated by DreamWorks include "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda," "How to Train Your Dragon," and "Trolls," all of which received at least one sequel. "Shrek" is perhaps the preeminent model for success for a DreamWorks property, spawning three proper sequels as well as a spinoff, "The Puss in Boots," itself set to receive a follow-up.

Most recently, DreamWorks produced "The Boss Baby: Family Business," a charming sequel to the 2017 film "The Boss Baby." Thus, another DreamWorks film spawned a veritable franchise that could very well continue into the future if "The Family Business" ends up enough of a financial success.

DreamWorks, then, is most likely hoping for its upcoming "The Bad Guys" to warrant a sequel or three as its next original film property. Here's what we know about "The Bad Guys" so far.

As detailed in a report on Variety, DreamWorks announced "The Bad Guys" back in 2018. At the time, the only details about the movie were that it would be based on the book of the same title by author Aaron Blabey, and its screenplay would be written by Etan Cohen. Cohen's past credits as a screenwriter include "Idiocracy," "Tropic Thunder," "Get Hard," and DreamWorks' "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."

About a year-and-a-half later, Deadline reported that DreamWorks scheduled "The Bad Guys" for a release sometime in 2021. Of course, many films — F9 for example — that had previously been scheduled to be released in 2020 or 2021 were delayed due to pandemic precautions, hence why 2021 now has such a loaded slate. Whether or not that was the cause in the case of "The Bad Guys," as well, DreamWorks ultimately pushed back the film to 2022. As listed on the DreamWorks website, "The Bad Guys" is now scheduled to be released on April 15, 2022. Given its specificity, this release date is considerably more likely to remain accurate, provided there are no further pandemic-related issues going forward.

DreamWorks has yet to announce who will be providing the voices of the central cast of characters in "The Bad Guys" in any official capacity. That said, its IMDB page currently lists four cast members: Awkwafina, Sam Rockwell, Craig Robinson, and Marc Maron.

Awkwafina recently made a name for herself in the realm of animation as one of the leads in "Raya and the Last Dragon." She also has a considerable resume of live action comedic roles, including starring in the sitcom "Nora From Queens," the second season of which is imminent, and she will also be appearing in Marvel Studios' upcoming "Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." Sam Rockwell is a prolific actor, whose prior credits include "Best of Enemies," "Galaxy Quest," "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," and more. Craig Robinson is arguably best known as Darryl from "The Office." Since then, he's appeared in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Mr. Robot," among other TV shows and movies. Finally, Marc Maron is primarily a podcast host and stand-up comic, whose prior acting credits include "GLOW" and a small role in "Joker." According to IMDB, Maron will provide the voice for Mr. Snake.

According to the Deadline report about the film from 2019, "The Bad Guys" will subvert genre norms in the same manner as some of its DreamWorks predecessors. Specifically, "the animated project is said to have 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 Bad Guys" will largely follow the plot of its written source material, which is outlined in greater detail in a subsequent Deadline article announcing the film's 2022 release date. The film stars five anthropomorphic animals named Mr. Wolf, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Snake. In the past, these five were successful criminals, responsible for a number of profitable heists. Their next mission upon the start of the film, however, is not criminal in nature but "going good." Given their criminal past, this is "their most challenging job yet."

More details about "The Bad Guys" should surface as its April 15, 2022 draws closer.