(Updated 11/21/2024)
The 2022 animated family heist comedy THE BAD GUYS was a terrific movie adaptation of the long-running book series by Aaron Blabey. Audiences and critics alike loved the animation and the pitch-perfect take on the characters that made young readers fall in love with the books.
Now THE BAD GUYS 2 is on the way, with a summer 2025 release date on the calendar. The first trailer is here, so check that out below and then we'll tell you everything we know about THE BAD GUYS 2.
What's The Bad Guys 2 Release Date?
Dreamworks Animation and Universal Pictures will release THE BAD GUYS 2 in movie theaters on August 1, 2025.
Watch the First Trailer for The Bad Guys 2
The trailer reminds us of where the Bad Guys were when they were bad, and shows how things are a lot more difficult when they're good. Pro tip: Do not apply for a job at a bank you've robbed, and especially not at one you've robbed more than once. But now three women who consider themselves to be huge fans of the Bad Guys — students of their work, as they say — force the crew back into badness for one last job.
Does the Original Cast of The Bad Guys Return for the Sequel?
Yes, the whole BAD GUYS voice cast will be back for THE BAD GUYS 2. (That cast did not take part in the streaming specials which also feature the characters.)
So Sam Rockwell returns as Mr. Wolf, Marc Maron is back as Mr. Snake, Zazie Beetz is Diane Foxington, Craig Robinson again voices Mr. Shark, and Awkwafina plays Ms. Tarantula once more.
Additionally, Anthony Ramos is Mr. Piranha, Richard Ayoade is Professor Marmalade, Alex Borstein voices Chief Luggins, and Lilly Singh plays Tiffany Fluffit.
Three new actors play important new characters: The Bad Girls. Danielle Brooks (THE COLOR PURPLE) is their leader, Kitty Kat, a dangerously clever snow leopard. Maria Bakalova (BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIE FILM) plays Pigtail, a brilliant Bulgarian wild boar engineer. And Natasha Lyonne ("Russian Doll," "Poker Face") voices the wry and deceitful raven, Doom.
What's the Plot of The Bad Guys 2?
We know only a sketch of the plot of THE BAD GUYS 2 right now, in part because Dreamworks Animation has released a simple synopsis: "The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do ‘one last job’ by an all-female squad of criminals." The trailer fleshes this out by introducing the Bad Girls, as detailed above.
It seems like this is an original story rather than a strict adaptation of one of the many "Bad Guys" books. The book series goes pretty deep into crazy stories featuring aliens, other dimensions, and all sorts of sci-fi and horror elements — all aimed at young readers, of course, so they're not super-scary. But the first movie had a more down-to-Earth vibe while still being pretty kooky, so the sequel film could well go further in that direction.
THE BAD GUYS 2 opens on August 1, 2025.
All images courtesy of Dreamworks Animation and Universal Pictures.