Buddy Director Teases Sequel Ideas & Possible Big Stars (Exclusive)

October 6, 2026, 6:26pm

Buddy was one of the stranger movie releases of 2026: a horror film about a popular children’s show whose iconic mascot is (spoilers!) secretly a killer demonic entity. The $3 million film earned $27 million at the box office; more importantly, Buddy became a cult-viral phenomenon that still has the Internet talking – and singing. The marketing campaign for the film kept things mysterious and weird – so much so that there many anecdotal stories of parents walking their kids into Buddy, thinking it was an actual retro throwback kids film, in the spirit of Barney. Needless to say, those parents left the theater less than thrilled about the mix up.

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Buddy has now gained the kind of cult-following that propels a good indie horror flick to the next level: a bigger, better, sequel. ComicBook’s Law Sharma caught up with Buddy director Casper Kelly at the film’s special “sing-along” re-release event and asked him where thing stand with Buddy’s next chapter.

Buddy Director On Sequel Plans & The Next Big Stars to Cast

When it comes to a Buddy sequel, Casper Kelly told us he’s already got the creative juices flowing, should he get the call to make the sequel: “I definitely have ideas. I have ideas,” Kelly said. “And they keep coming! I’m writing them all down! So knock on wood, hopefully!”

The real joy of Buddy was seeing how many famous faces popped up in the film, or the famous voices that came from the mouths of the furry characters on the fictional “It’s Buddy!” kids show. The adult cast includes Cristin Milioti (The Penguin) in the lead role, with Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3) appearing as her husband, and icons like Clint Howard making appearance. The voice cast included Patton Owswalt (Parks and Rec), Michael Shannon (Man of Steel), Eric Bauza (Looney Tunes), and Keegan-Michael Key as Buddy.

If Kelly can pull from that kind of range, then there’s no telling who we could see in Buddy 2. So we asked Casper Kelly if he had a wishlist in mind: “A little bit. A little bit. But it’s early days; I’m just brainstorming right now. Hopefully.”

Buddy: What It’s About & Where to Watch it

Buddy is all about a 1990s kids show called “It’s Buddy!”, whose bubbly host (a “bright orange, humanoid unicorn with a purple heart on his chest”) is actually tyrannical and murderous monster. Buddy’s dark mystical abilities allow him to snatch unsuspecting children through the TV screen and bring them into his world as his prisoners. However, when one defiant child escapes, it sets off ripples in the real world. One mother, Grace (Cristin Milioti) becomes hyper-fixated on the maddening idea that her family is missing something – or rather, someone that no one else can remember. That mother’s intution begins to lead her on a search that eventually brings her into fight against Buddy and his evil.

Buddy will be released on digital platforms starting on October 13th.