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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Brigid Delaney

‘It just exploded’: The Bad Guys author on writing ‘Tarantino for kids’ – and selling millions

Aaron Blabey Quentin Tarantino United States Awkwafina Craig Robinson Marc Maron Sam Rockwell Los Angeles
The Bad Guys (from left): Ms Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr Snake (Marc Maron), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Mr Wolf (Sam Rockwell).
The Bad Guys (from left): Ms Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr Snake (Marc Maron), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Mr Wolf (Sam Rockwell). Photograph: DreamWorks Animation LLC

What would a Quentin Tarantino film for children look like? Probably something close to The Bad Guys, a DreamWorks adaptation of a book series about a gang of criminal animals who, after a lifetime of heists, are tasked with doing good for the world in order to avoid prison.

It has a starry cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade and Zazie Beetz, among others. But the man behind the series is Australian author Aaron Blabey, who has sold around 30m books: a staggering, mind-blowing figure. Speaking to Blabey ahead of The Bad Guys film release, even he still seems in shock about his own success.

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