Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Animation are sending a bunch of animals on a heist – again. The studio has announced that it is full steam ahead on The Bad Guys 2, an animated film that will once again bring audiences to a world in which animals serve as criminals and pickpockets. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has set a release date for the sequel film of Aug. 1, 2025, in the United States.

The first film, The Bad Guys, was based on the book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. It starred Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf, a thieving wolf who led a gang of animal criminals known as “The Bad Guys.” Throughout the film, Mr. Wolf is slowly convinced that his team of ragtag criminals would be better off contributing good to society. The Bad Guys 2 will see the gang “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,” according to the film’s logline.

Most of the cast from the first film will be returning for the sequel. This includes Marc Maron as Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark, Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha, Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula, Zazie Beetz as Diana Foxington, Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, Alex Borstein as police chief Luggins and Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit. The director of the first film, Pierre Perifel, will once again be behind the director’s chair, with JP Sans, the head of character animation on the first film, co-directing. DreamWorks‘ Damon Ross will produce, as he did on the original.

The Original ‘The Bad Guys’ Was a Major Success

Perifel has previously commented on his desire to helm a sequel to The Bad Guys, and it is unsurprising that Universal has given it the green light based on the first film’s success. Despite only having an estimated budget of $70 to $80 million, The Bad Guys was able to rake in nearly $251 million at the worldwide box office when it was released in 2022. This includes $97 million domestically and $153 million overseas.

Perifel told Collider in 2022 that he had learned things while making The Bad Guys that he would take to future projects, which could potentially translate to the sequel. “In terms of the look, in terms of the music, in terms of the character design, the cinematography, everything, all of that was very defined early on,” Perifel said. “Everybody just stuck to that vision and decided to go with it.” He added that there were very few differences between his original storyboard design and the finished film, which could bode well for the sequel.

The Bad Guys 2 will be released in theaters on Aug. 1, 2025.

via Collider