Killer Bean Forever & the franchise

Killer Bean started as viral web shorts, became a 2008 feature film, then two games. Jeff Lew animated the whole thing nearly solo — and the 4K movie on YouTube has 85M+ views. One catch worth knowing up front: the games and the film don’t fully share a canon.

Franchise timeline

Year	Release
1996*	Killer Bean: The Interrogation (web short)
2000	Killer Bean 2: The Party (viral short)
2008	Killer Bean Forever (feature film)
2012	Killer Bean Unleashed (mobile game)
2020	The Return of Killer Bean (web series — cancelled 2021)
2022	Killer Bean — The Prequel web series (ep. "Driving School")
2026	Killer Bean (Steam action-roguelike, June 8)

* Sources disagree on the first short’s date — Wikipedia says 1996, some databases list 1999.

Canon heads-up. Jeff Lew has said Killer Bean Unleashed (2012) is not canon to the film. The 2026 Steam game continues the revenge story but plays loose with the timeline (Jet Bean dies in the film yet returns in the game). When the wiki says "canon," it means the film.

Watch the full movie

The complete 85-minute 2008 film, uploaded in 4K to Killer Bean Studios’ official channel.

Killer Bean → The Shadow Agency → The 2026 game →

Frequently asked questions

Who made Killer Bean?

Jeff Lew wrote, produced, directed and animated Killer Bean Forever (2008). He also animated on The Matrix Reloaded and X-Men.

Is Killer Bean Unleashed canon?

No — Jeff Lew has said Killer Bean Unleashed is not canon to the Killer Bean Forever story. Treat the 2012 game’s plot as its own thing.

How much did Killer Bean Forever make / cost?

It was made for under $1 million and took about five years and roughly 1,000 animated shots. The 4K YouTube upload has passed 85 million views.

Is Killer Bean for kids?

It’s a stylized action film built around gun fights — closer to a John Wick tone than kids’ fare.