BUDDY: Roadside Attractions And Saban Films Acquire North American Rights For Casper Kelly's Horror Comedy

 

Roadside Attractions and Saban Films have acquired North American rights to BUDDY, the wildly original theatrical feature debut from the deranged mind of fan favorite Casper Kelly. Produced by BoulderLight Pictures and Low Spark Films, in association with Sipur Studios and Substance, the film premiered in the Midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival and the Festival Favorites section at SXSW, where it captivated audiences and quickly emerged as a must-see, genre-bending horror standout. BUDDY will open exclusively in theatrical wide release on September 4, 2026.

 

Set inside a children’s television show gone horribly wrong, BUDDY stars Emmy Award® winner Cristin Milioti (The Penguin, How I Met Your Mother, Palm Springs), Delaney Quinn (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Topher Grace (That ’70s Show, BlacKkKlansman), Emmy Award® winner Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele, The Super Mario Bros. Movie), Two-time Academy Award® nominee Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Man of Steel), and Emmy and Grammy Award® winner Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille, The King of Queens).

 

Equal parts unnerving and inventive, BUDDY embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television—complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes—before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness. The result is a one-of-a-kind genre experience that is as wickedly sharp as it is horrifying.

 

Roadside Attraction Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff remarked "BUDDY was everyone’s favorite movie at Sundance because we watched in horror as the familiar became the deranged and comfort food turned to poison. Theatrical audiences are in for a major treat.” 

 

"Casper Kelly is one of the most wildly inventive and audacious filmmakers working today, and BUDDY is a testament to his singular genius," said Jonathan Saban and Shanan Becker, co-Presidents of Saban Films. "He possesses a rare aptitude for taking the wholesome nostalgia of our childhoods and flipping it into a brilliantly unhinged, laugh-out-loud nightmare. We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Roadside to bring Casper’s uniquely twisted vision to audiences nationwide."

 

Kelly added “It’s an honor to be partnering with Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, two companies that have built reputations for championing bold films. The theatrical experience means so much to me personally, and I made BUDDY to be experienced in a theater. I’m thrilled that audiences will get the chance to see the movie in theaters everywhere.”

 

Kelly is best known for his boundary-pushing work, with the viral sensation Too Many Cooks and the Emmy-nominated series Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell. His previous credits also include Adult Swim Yule Log, and the unforgettable “Cheddar Goblin” sequence in Nicholas Cage’s Mandy. With BUDDY, Kelly delivers his most ambitious and unhinged vision yet.

 

BUDDY is a BoulderLight Pictures and Low Spark Films production in association with Sipur Studios and Substance. Directed by Casper Kelly, BUDDY is written by Kelly and Jamie King, produced by Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, and Tracy Rosenblum with Kevin Flanigan, Dexter Braff, Roberto Linck, Nathan McAuley, Emilio Schenker, Gideon Tadmor, Adam J. Wilde, Geoff Yaw, and Ryan J. Kelly serving as Executive Producers.

 

The deal was negotiated by Roadside Attractions Co-President Howard Cohen, Jonathan Saba Co-President of Saban Films and Range Select & UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers.