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.

About Saban Films
Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group (“SCG”), is a leading film acquisition and distribution company specializing in bold, talent-driven, and commercially minded storytelling. Founded in 2014, the company has built a library of more than 250 titles and continues to champion high-quality films across all platforms in North America, from theatrical and event cinema to PVOD and digital release.

The company has also expanded its global footprint through key distribution partnerships in Austria, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Benelux, and Switzerland. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Co-Presidents Shanan Becker and Jonathan Saba, and Vice Chairman Bill Bromiley.

Saban Films’ diverse slate includes breakout hits and acclaimed features such as “Wrong Turn” starring Charlotte Vega and Matthew Modine, “Buddy Games” with Josh Duhamel, Brad Furman’s “City of Lies” starring Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker, and Ian and Eshom Nelms’ “Fatman” with Mel Gibson. Saban Films also continues to lead in the eventized theatrical space, partnering on major Fathom releases including Rob Zombie’s “3 From Hell” and Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.”

Most recently, the company celebrated the successful releases of “Knox Goes Away” starring Michael Keaton, “The Unholy Trinity” starring Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson and will release the action thriller “Fuze” starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James and Sam Worthington —further reinforcing its reputation for delivering standout, star-driven films that resonate with broad audiences.

About Roadside Attractions
Since its founding in 2003, Roadside Attractions’ films have grossed over $500 million and garnered 23 Academy Award nominations. Recent releases include: this year’s Academy Award-nominated short films, presented by three-time winner Taika Waititi; Sight & Sound’s “A Great Awakening,” which tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between the Reverend George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin; “Tow,” an inspirational true story brought to life by Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Rose Byrne; “H is for Hawk,” starring Golden Globe winner Claire Foy and Academy Award nominee Brendan Gleeson, based on the New York Times best-selling memoir of the same name; 2026 Spirit Award nominees “Twinless,” starring James Sweeney and Dylan O’Brien and Dust Bunny, the fantastical directorial debut by Bryan Fuller, led by screen legends Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver and Bill Condon’s visionary new interpretation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Kiss Of The Spider Woman.”

Upcoming films include the high-stakes thriller “Fuze,” helmed by Academy Award nominee David Mackenzie and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James, “Lucky Strike,” the gripping WWII action thriller directed by Rod Davis Lurie, starring Scott Eastwood, Golden Globe And Emmy Nominee Colin Hanks and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and SXSW Audience Award Winner and Sundance Film Festival charmer, “Cookie Queens.”

The company has released such critical and commercial hits as “The Last Showgirl”; “Emily the Criminal”; “Somewhere in Queens”; Academy Award short-listed documentary “Beyond Utopia”; Academy Award short-listed International Feature “The Monk and the Gun”; “Bob Trevino Likes It”; “Lee”; “Exhibiting Forgiveness”; “The Courier”; “Rita Moreno”: “Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It”; “Judy”; “The Peanut Butter Falcon”; “Manchester by the Sea”; “Love & Friendship”; “Mr. Holmes Love & Mercy”; “A Most Wanted Man”; “Dear White People”; “Mud”; “Winter’s Bone”; “The Cove”; “Margin Call”; and “Super Size Me.” Roadside Attractions is known for innovative strategies that maximize the value of their films via theatrical box office success.